Shun greed, political vengeance, Hasina asks party leaders, workers

---

Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday called upon the party leaders and activists to dedicate themselves to the service of the people remaining above all greed, inducement and political vengeance, reports UNB.
Addressing the opening session of the party's 18th central council at the Bangabandhu International Convention Centre, she also urged the party followers to take lessons from the incidents after the political changeover of 1/11.
Hasina in her 45-minute speech warned the party activists of serious consequences for any crime and irregularity saying that wealth and property amassed through corruption did not work in the long run.
Earlier, Hasina inaugurated the daylong council releasing balloons and pigeons at 10:28am. She hoisted the national flag while acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam hoisted the party flag.
AL district unit presidents and secretaries also hoisted national and party flags from their designated position at the council venue. This was followed by recitations from holy Quran, Geeta, Tripitak and Bible.
Singers of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra led by Amit Roy sang the national anthem and Awami League's party song -- Joy Bangla, Banglar Joy -- at the inaugural ceremony, moderated by Asaduzzaman Nur MP.
Senior AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury delivered the address of welcome while AL office secretary and State Minister for Housing and Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan made the condolence reference.
Hasina reminded the party leaders and activists that some persons in the Awami League during the two-year rule of the caretaker government had failed to work maintaining their self-respect as they surrendered to greed and allurement.
"They surrendered as they did not know how to live upholding self-dignity. They did not have the boldness an honest and brave person should have," she said.
She said that in the last seven years many conspiracies were hatched to destroy Awami League and erase her from the politics, but all went in vain due to strong stand of the people for democracy and development.
The Awami League president said that during the last caretaker regime, she went abroad to be beside her expecting daughter and ailing daughter-in-law, but the caretaker rulers had tried to restrain her from returning home.
"I was threatened that if I come, I would be shot to death. And at last, I was proposed that I would be the Prime Minister, but in that case there would be no election in the country."