‘BNP govt. committed to establishing rule of law’
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday said the BNP government would use all its strength to ensure that the law applies equally to everyone and to gradually restore the rule of law in the country, which he said was ruined under the previous fascist regime.
“When the people of this country have entrusted BNP with responsibility, BNP will, with all its strength, InshaAllah, ensure that the law is equal for everyone,” he said.
He was speaking at a public rally after inaugurating the Muhuri-Kohua Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation Project Rehabilitation (Phase I) at the Kheyaghat Ghat-Muhuri Bridge area in Parshuram upazila.
“We have seen how the rule of law was destroyed over the past 17 years. We want to change that situation and gradually establish the rule of law,” the Prime Minister said.
Referring to recent incidents involving some political parties, Tarique Rahman said certain groups were trying to create unrest by capitalising on “undesirable incidents”.
He said such attempts could disrupt the government’s development and welfare programmes and ultimately harm the people.
He cited the Family Card, Farmer Card, canal and river excavation, expansion of upazila health complexes and reopening of closed mills and factories as programmes under way.
“If these works are obstructed, who will suffer the loss? The people of this country will,” he said.
Referring to allegations of violence against women involving members of a political group, he urged them to first look into misconduct within their own ranks before criticising others.
Tarique Rahman said the people had given BNP the responsibility of governing in the February 12 election and the government was implementing its programmes on that mandate. He urged people to remain alert in protecting the democratic process.
“These are no longer merely BNP programmes; they are now the programmes of the people,” he said. He pledged to continue the democratic process “at any cost” and sought people’s prayers to fully implement the programmes.
The Prime Minister announced that all upazila health complexes would be upgraded from 50 to 150 beds within the next five years, so that people could receive necessary treatment closer to home without travelling to district towns or Dhaka, unless they needed specialised care.
“Within the next five years, InshaAllah, we will transform every upazila hospital from 50 beds to 150 beds,” he said.
The expanded facilities will include dialysis services and treatment facilities for mothers and children, with new departments opening alongside the additional 100 beds.
On the Parshuram hospital, he said its first 30 beds were set up during the tenure of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and it was expanded to 50 beds under Begum Khaleda Zia’s government. Although a demand had been made to raise it to 100 beds, he said he decided to make it 150.
Tarique Rahman said the government was moving ahead with the Family Card programme to make women in working families financially self-reliant. It would also provide a Farmer Card to small, marginal and middle-income farmers so that government assistance reached them directly, eliminating intermediaries.
He recalled that the government had already kept its election pledge to waive agricultural loans of up to Tk 10,000, including interest. The loans were waived within the first seven days of taking office at a cost of Tk 1,500 crore, benefiting around 1.3 million farmers, he said.
Speaking on the project, the Prime Minister said the government had started re-excavating the canal linking the Muhuri and Kohua rivers as part of its wider canal and river excavation programme. He recalled the devastating floods of 2024, when water flowed over the bridge and homes in Feni, Noakhali and Lakshmipur were inundated.
The programme was announced before the election because such work was vital for flood control, irrigation and rural water supply, he said. It would directly benefit around 450,000 people and bring about 34,000 hectares of farmland under irrigation, raising crop production by an estimated 100,000 tonnes.
“If crop production increases, farmers will benefit. If crop production increases, we will be able to keep food grain prices within the purchasing capacity of ordinary people,” he said.
He described the programme as a continuation of an initiative launched under former President Ziaur Rahman.
The Prime Minister said the government was working to reopen mills and factories closed over the past 17 years, holding talks with domestic and foreign investors and offering necessary facilities.
“If these mills and factories reopen, the sons and daughters of our country will get employment opportunities,” he said, adding that more jobs would gradually bring economic stability to families and support national development.
Earlier, after inaugurating the project, the Prime Minister planted a sapling near the bridge area. He later inaugurated canal excavation by cutting soil, and river dredging and embankment construction by operating a dredger.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister and Feni-3 lawmaker Abdul Awal Mintoo, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad, Feni-1 lawmaker Rafiqul Alam Maznu, Feni-2 lawmaker Joynal Abedin and lawmaker Rehana Akter Ranu, among others, were present.
