Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said, “Now everyone wants to get on the boat to save their looted property. No one will be given that opportunity.”
He said this while addressing an exchange of views meeting organised by Cox's Bazar district Awami League in Cox’s Bazar on Friday afternoon.
Hasan Mahmud, a joint general secretary of Awami League, said that various elections including municipal elections have started. Action will be taken in accordance with the constitution against those who will go beyond the party's decision and participate in these elections, including breaking party discipline. In case of fielding party candidates in the election, the dedicated candidates of the party will be evaluated, he added.
Cox's Bazar District Awami League Acting President Advocate Faridul Islam Chowdhury chaired the event at the Cox's Bazar District Awami League office. Advocate Sirajul Mostafa, central religious affairs Secretary of Awami League, Cox's Bazar District Awami League General Secretary and Municipal Mayor Mojibur Rahman, Awami League leaders Mostaq Ahmed Chowdhury, Saimum Sarwar Kamal, MP, Ashek Ullah Rafique, MP, Woman MP Kaniz Fatema Mostaq, Cox's Bazar Development Authority Chairman Lt Col (retd) Forkan Ahmed and Cox's Bazar District Awami League vice-president Rezaul Karim spoke on the occasion, among others.
Hasan Mahmud said the fate of all people has been changed in 12 years. The leaders and workers of the party have to convey these developments to the common people. “Today, 1.5 crore people in Bangladesh are getting various types of allowances. What was the condition of this country 12 years ago, what is the condition today, those issues have to be conveyed to the common people,” he said.
The minister said the government led by Sheikh Hasina is taking Cox's Bazar forward.
Earlier, Cox's Bazar Press Club’s newly-elected president Abu Taher Chowdhury and general secretary Md Mojibul Islam greeted the information minister with flowers.
Meanwhile, Dr Hasan Mahmud spoke as the chief guest at the Bangabandu festival at Ramu in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday night.
Criticizing the politics of BNP, he said at the event that this party now wants to do politics over coronavirus vaccines, but their expectations won’t be fulfilled.
BSS adds: “BNP intended to make agitation over the pandemic situation… unfortunately they have failed and now they want to move with vaccines, but their efforts will go in vain,” he said.
He said, “The government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made all-out arrangements to bring necessary vaccines of the COVID-19 for the people.”
After outbreak of the pandemic, BNP had designed to make agitation capitalizing on the pandemic issue as they had an expectation that thousands of people would die in starvation, the Information Minister said, adding that their ‘ill motive’ ultimately did not succeeded.
“Not a single person died in starvation because of the time-befitting initiatives taken by the government led by Sheikh Hasina,” he told the 4th day programme of the festival held on Ramu Khijari high school premises.
Chaired by valiant freedom fighter Nurul Haq, the festival was also attended by Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan and local lawmaker Saimum Sarwar Komol as the special guests.
Dr Hasan said, “BNP is now speaking out on vaccines as they first disseminated the propaganda that the government will not be able to make vaccines available in the country. But their allegation has been proved wrong.”
Hasan blamed BNP for making falsehood repeatedly and said now the party is publicizing that vaccines are expensive.
“With the initiatives of the government led by the Awami League, the people will get vaccines in time,” Hasan said.
Lauding the government’s initiatives which are unprecedented in the developed countries like Europe and the United States of America (USA), the Information Minister said the country is now being changed as the government has launched ‘elderly and widowed’ allowances, saying that allowances for lactating mothers and women abandoned by the husbands also have been initiated.
But the people who do not like development, always intends to criticize the government, the minister said.
The country once was a food deficit one which is now a food surplus country, said the minister. Country’s such overnight changes did not taken place because of any magic, but it has been possible due to the dynamic and charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he added.
Criticizing the BNP, the Railways Minister said BNP has no uniformity in their works and speech as they only blame the government based on false claims.
The government is now giving utmost importance to the development of Cox’s Bazar, the only tourism spot of the country, he said.
The construction of the railway lines will be completed at the end of the next year and then the people could travel to Cox’s Bazar boarding on train from the capital, the minister told the function.
