Khaleda smiles only when she can kill people

Taking a swipe at her arch rival Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the BNP chief smiles only when she can kill people.

"Smile is seen on her face when she can kill people, she never flashes smile when she sees the development of people…her smile fades out when she sees smiles on people's faces," she told a discussion without mentioning Khaleda's name.

Awami League organised the discussion at Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh marking the country's 46th Independence Day and National Day.

Referring to an Awami League leader's comment in the discussion that there was no smile on Khaleda Zia's face when she went to place wreaths at National Memorial on March 26, the prime minister said a party leader went to the memorial and her face looked pale as there was no smile.

"Where will the smile come from? All her beloved persons are being hanged one after another…the trial of war criminals are being held …people have no support for them," Hasina quipped.

Recalling the horrible days of the first three months of 2015, Hasina said this political leader killed people through arson attacks. "When people were dying, there was a smile on her face…you couldn't see that as she had confined herself…surely there was a hyena smile on her face," said the prime minister.

Hasina, also the president of AL, also said as people are smiling now, there is no smile on that leader's face. "This is natural, you can't expect more than this from this person because her heart is full of love for Pakistan," she added.

She said killing people is never a movement, it is rather killing. "So you gain people's support with killing."

Talking about the ongoing union council elections, Hasina said it seems to her that BNP has no interest in participating in elections sincerely. "Where're their election activities? They're simply coming up with complaints."

The prime minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had engaged his all strength for rebuilding the war-ravaged country after the independence.

She mentioned that the newly born country was advancing towards a right direction through numerous socio-economic pragmatic steps taken by Bangabandhu.

"At a time when the country's people started tasting the freedom a quarter spreading confusion among people and tried to spread propaganda against the then government," she said.

Hasina questioned to serve whose interest that quarter had done that.  "By whose money did they do that? I think this could be a good point for research," she said without mentioning anyone's or any party's name.

The prime minister reiterated her pledge to turn the country into a golden Bengal as dreamt by Bangabandhu upholding the Liberation War spirit.

Terming the history of Liberation War the history of pride, she said the huge blood and the sacrifices of millions of lives cannot go in vain. "We can't allow it to be futile."

Those who believe in the ideals of Bangabandhu should have this sense and they must help create a sense of self-respect and self-confidence among the people of the country and not to bow down to others, she said.