Hasina urges people to vote for honest candidates

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NARAIL, Dec 19 (bdnews24.com): Awami League (AL) president Sheikh Hasina urged the people Friday to vote for AL and its allies to stave off corruption and militancy, and help build a prosperous and secular Bangladesh.
Accompanied by younger sister Sheikh Rehana and niece Azmina Siddique, the AL chief asked people to vote for the grand alliance candidate Bimal Biswas, the general secretary of Workers Party, running for the polls from Narail-1 constituency.
Hasina left Dhaka Tuesday on her election tour of the southwest, starting with 'meeting the people' in her home district of Gopalganj. After addressing public meetings Thursday in Bagerhat and Khulna districts, she returned to Tungipara in Gopalganj at night.
The AL leader was scheduled to return to Dhaka Friday after conducting polls campaign in Magura, Jessore and Faridpur.
To the people of Narail, Hasina said, "The looters grabbed people's assets and transferred them to foreign lands. Now it's your turn to elect the right people to power and to do that, you must vote for 'boat' only and save the country."
She called upon the people to vote for another AL candidate SK Abu Baker, a retired brigadier general, contesting the polls from Narail-2 seat.
Assuring all of introducing free education and curbing commodities price spirals if voted to power, Hasina said, "I'm aware of the problems faced by the locals here, as I was elected from this region twice before."
"If Awami League goes to power this time, the onus will be on me to ensure the development of this region."
The AL workers and supporters assembled for the meeting in small processions and braving the biting cold and foggy environment.
UNB from Jhenidah adds: Awami League President Sheikh Hasina said the same day that the time had come to stand against corruption and terrorism and urged the people to vote for honest people and against corruption.
"During the BNP-Jamaat rule some people became rich overnight and smuggled huge money out of the country…Those who were involved in terrorism and corruption cannot do any good to the country," she was addressing an election rally on the Uzir Ali Eidgah Maidan in the district.
Hasina introduced her party candidates - Shafiqul Islam Apu from Jhenidah-2, Abdul Mannan (Jhenidah-4), Abdul Hye (Jhenidah-1) and Advocate Chanchal (Jhenidah-3) and sought vote for them in the December 29 elections.
The Awami League president said her party men could not sleep at their houses and women could not move freely with honour during the previous alliance regime. She alleged that the 4-party alliance regime turned the food surplus country into a food deficit one.