RANGPUR Correspondent: Information Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud today said there is no power in the country to deal with the united AL.

The minister, also in charge of Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, stated this while exchanging views with leaders of Rangpur district and city units AL at the conference room of Rangpur Circuit House here this evening.

Hasan said AL is a family. Those who truly do the politics of AL, they love the party more than their own family and give the party more time, he added.

For those who take politics as a promise, the needs or problems of a party worker are more important to them than their own families.

“By assassinating Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August, 1975, an attempt was made to jeopardize the independence of Bangladesh. At the same time, attempts have been made to wipe out AL,” he said.

He said that after Bangabandhu’s assassination in 1975, Ziaur Rahman divided AL and made attempts to wipe out the party. “Many people then claimed that the Awami League would never come to power again,” he said.

However, after Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina became president of the AL in 1981 and nurtured the party with a lot of love and mother’s affection.

“She has led AL to state power four times and kept the party at bay.
Those who thought that AL would never come to power again and tried to wipe out the party are disappearing from the political scene. That is the reality,” he said.

He said AL is in power three times in a row. It has been 12 years since AL formed the government with the verdict of the people.

“As AL is in power three times in a row, everyone now wants to get on the boat of the party or like to become an AL leader. But, not everyone can be taken to AL,” he said.

He said that since AL is a mass people’s organisation, anyone can support the party, but everyone cannot come to the leadership seat.

“Only those who are tested to the party, tested to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and burnt leaders, they should be put in the leadership seat,” he said.

The minister said politics is a vow for serving people, country and all. Everyone needs to do politics bearing this in mind.

“Those who want to use politics as a stepping stone to gain or to gain prestige should not have a place in AL. We do AL politics to change the country, to realise Bangabandhu’s dream and to change the destiny of the people,” he said.

He said people’s leader Sheikh Hasina is working day and night for that purpose.

He asked the leaders and workers in the meeting to identify the burnt people, tested people and dedicated workers to bring them in leadership of AL.

“There are many senior leaders who have sacrificed blood, sweat, labour and golden days of youth for the party. They also need to keep inquiring,” he said, adding that the country has changed today under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

“The country of food shortage is now the country of food surplus. In the northern region, there was ‘monga’ in the past. But, the word ‘monga’ is now in the books and books, but not in reality,” he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set up an export processing zone, many industries, implemented Rangpur division, Rangpur City Corporation and Metropolitan Police along with conducting massive developments in the region.

“In the past, electricity used to come occasionally though there were supply lines. Now, the electricity supply remains all the time. About 100 percent of the people in the country have got electricity,”he said.

He said there is no difference between the village roads and city roads now. But, people do not remember the massive changes; they remember what more they need, he added.

He said that 1,500-2,000 people in each union are getting different types of government allowances.

“But many of the beneficiaries do not know that they get these allowances from Sheikh Hasina’s boat brand government. They need to be reminded,” he said.

Mentioning that AL wants to take the country to the dream destination of Bangabandhu, the Information Minister said that the 22-party alliance led by BNP-Jamaat and another alliance have broken down.

“They say every year that they will pull down the government this year. They have fallen on their own now as their own rope has become torn,” he said.

However, the minister suggested the leaders and workers of AL to be at peace with this as they are hatching conspiracies. He advised everyone to be careful in this regard and reminded that the enemy is always alert.

“If the AL is united and works together, there is no power in Bangladesh to deal with the party. For this, the unity of the party must be maintained,” he said, adding that it is not appropriate to criticise each other here and there.

“Criticism should be internally in party forums but not in public,” he said.