Staff Reporter :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s address on Friday at an event commemorating the 52nd founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Krishak League in Ganabhaban has reignited scrutiny over the contentious issue of legal actions targeting members and leaders of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
In her remarks, Prime Minister Hasina reiterated that these actions are driven not by political vendettas but rather by responses to a spectrum of criminal offenses.
“The cases were filed for the commission of crimes like arson violence, homicide, corruption, arms smuggling, and grenade attacks. They have committed offenses. Thus, legal action is being taken against them,” she said.
The Prime Minister specifically pointed out the widespread arson violence orchestrated by the BNP during the 2013 and 2014 periods, which resulted in the destruction of numerous vehicles and infrastructure.
Moreover, Prime Minister Hasina highlighted the incidents of violence preceding the 12th parliamentary election, citing the 28th October incident where a mother and her child were tragically killed by setting fire to trains in an attempt to disrupt the electoral process.
Turning down the claim that 60 lakh BNP leaders and workers are in jail, the Prime Minister said that all jails in the country do not have the capacity to accommodate so many people.
“They’re claiming that their 60 lakh men are arrested, but we (jails) don’t even have such capacity (to accommodate so many people),” she said.
The premier said if so many lakhs of BNP men are detained in jails, it means all who are now in jails are their men, and there are no other criminals anymore. “It means all criminals there (in the jails) belong to BNP,” she said.
Describing the horrific scenes of violence and torture on Awami League leaders and activists during the BNP regimes, the PM said her government didn’t go to take revenge but rather utilised its merit and power in developing the country and working for its people. “It is their good luck that we are in power.
They still get opportunities to talk (raise voices), as we are not revengeful like them. They talk all day using the loud speaker, and then they say they don’t get the scope to speak,” she said.
Prime Minister Hasina also addressed accusations of revenge tactics against the BNP, asserting that her government prioritises national development and the welfare of its citizens over retribution.
She emphasised that her administration has refrained from retaliatory measures despite past injustices inflicted upon members of the ruling Awami League during BNP regimes.
The President of the Bangladesh Krishak League, Samir Chandra, presided over the event, marking the significant milestone of the organisation’s founding on April 19, 1972.