Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Bangladesh has constructed the Padma Bridge with own financing as her government had taken this challenge to brighten image of the country.
“We’ve done it by the grace of Allah. InshaAllah, we will inaugurate the Padma Bridge on June 25,” she said while speaking at a meeting of Awami League (AL) Advisory Council. The meeting was held at her official residence Ganabhaban.
Sheikh Hasina said it hurts her heart when any slander is hurled against the country and that is why she had taken the challenge to build the much-cherished Padma Bridge with own funds when World Bank went away from financing the project for alleged corruption.
Mentioning that honesty has a different type of power, she said, “I’ve taken this challenge with that power of honest… And I have got the whole hearted support of the country’s people. For this reason, I have been able to construct the Padma Bridge.”
The Prime Minister said that a Canadian court declared all the allegations regarding this project false and baseless.
In this connection, she mentioned that Dr Muahmmad Yunus, just for a post of Managing Director of Grameen Bank, carried out the conspiracy.
“He (Yunus) illegally stayed in the post of Managing Director of Grameen Bank at the age of 71. He lodged a case regarding the matter and lost,” she added.
She further said that World Bank cancelled the funding to the project on his (Dr Yunus) request, and later the Awami League government constructed the Bridge with the country’s own resources that has brightened the image of the country.
Sheikh Hasina expressed satisfaction as her party, the ruling Awami League, has been able to fulfill its election pledges to the people.
Awami League never forgets its election pledge after forming the government, said the party chief.
She added, “Every time, while preparing the budget, we evaluate how much progress we have made to implement the election pledges.”
While preparing the budget, she said, the Awami League government considers how to implement the unfinished election pledges.
She said that her government is pulling the country ahead using the modern technology through development from the grassroots level.
Recalling the horrible days the people faced after the killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975 , the premier said the power was not in the hands of the mass people.
The ‘Mitali Express’, the third India-Bangladesh train service, on Wednesday formally began operations between New Jalpaiguri in India’s West Bengal and Dhaka Cantonment station in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan and his Indian counterpart Ashwini Vaishnav jointly flagged off the rail service in a virtual format from the Rail Bhaban, headquarter of Indian Railway ministry here.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran and senior officials of railway ministries of both the countries, among others, were present during the flagging off ceremony.
Sources said the train will take nine hours to travel 513 kilometres between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka Cantonment station. It will be operated by a diesel engine and will have four air-conditioned cabin coaches and four air-conditioned chair cars.
During its return journey, Dhaka Cantonment - New Jalpaiguri Mitali Express will also run two days a week- on Monday and Thursday, which will leave Dhaka Cantonment at 21:50 hours (BST).
The other two Indo-Bangladesh passenger trains - Maitree Express and Bandhan Express, whose operations were disrupted due to Covid-19 restrictions, resumed their services on May 29.
Maitree Express, which began service in 2008, is the first train to run between the two countries since the British partitioned India in 1947. Bandhan Express began service later that year.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said Ziaur Rahman would remain as a murderer and betrayer in the pages of history.
“Ziaur Rahman tainted the politics of Bangladesh and he started the trend of corruption and looting in the country’s economy. Zia was one of the main perpetrators of Bangabandhu assassination. He also killed hundreds of soldiers of armed forces to cling to power. For this, Zia will remain as a murderer and betrayer in the history,” he said.
The minister said this to reporters after addressing a function marking a photograph exhibition ‘Bangabandhu o Rupashi Bangla Alokchithra Pradarshani o Sonmanona-2022’ jointly organized by Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association (BPJA) and Shilpakala Academy at an auditorium of the academy here.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid and Director General of Shilpakala Academy Liakat Ali Lucky, among others, addressed the function.
Hasan said BNP didn’t hold the trial of Zia killing. BNP was in power for two times under the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia, but they didn’t hold the trial of the killing.
Replying to a query over BNP’s recent activities, the minister said they are holding meetings with different so-called parties and none know the name of those parties’ general secretaries or presidents, which is ridiculous, he added.
He said the parties are nothing but only signboard-based, adding: “I don’t know what will come from the meetings with those signboard-based parties except publishing news.
In the function, the minister said a picture is stronger than a word and the photo journalists are working by taking risk. Even, they wait for a picture for days, said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
The minister hoped that the photo journalists will focus the unprecedented development of the country under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through their photography.
Khalid said the photo journalists had played a pivotal role in revealing the real history of the country to the new generation by exposing various moments and incidents of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s life and works. They (photo journalists) encouraged the new generation by presenting different moments of language movement, 1969’s uprising, the great Liberation War and 1990’s movement against autocrat government, he added.
Academy director Mini Karim, BPJA president Golam Mostafa, general secretary Kazal Hazra and convener of the function Moin Uddin, among others, also addressed the function.
One hundred photographs on Bangabandhu’s life and works and 100 photographs on nature will be exhibited in the week-long exhibition.
TUNGIPARA, May 31: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday offered prayers at the mazar of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Tungipara of Gopalganj.
Accompanied by her sister and Bangabandhu’s younger daughter Sheikh Rehana, the premier offered Fateha and joined a munajat (prayer) seeking eternal peace of departed souls of the Father of the Nation and other martyrs of August 15, 1975 massacre.
Prayers were also offered seeking divine blessings for good health and long life of Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana and their family members as well as continued peace, progress and prosperity of the country.
The prime minister also offered prayers at the graves of her grandfather and Bangabandhu’s father Sheikh Lutfar Rahman and grandmother and Bangabandhu’s mother Sheikh Sahera Khatun in Tungipara.
A doa and milad mahfil was held after zuhr prayers at Bangabandhu’s mausoleum complex mosque marking the death anniversary of the prime minister’s grandmother, who died this day (May 31) in 1974.
The prime minister along with her family members and relatives attended the doa and milad mahfil from the Father of the Nation’s home on mazar premises.
Earlier, she paid rich tributes to Bangabandhu by placing a wreath at his mazar.
After laying the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the architect of the independence, who was brutally killed by some disgruntled army men on the dreadful night of August 15, 1975 along with most of his family members.