Prime Minister's Information and Communication Technology Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy said on Saturday the people reaped the benefits of development as they voted for 'Boat', election symbol of Awami League (AL), reports BSS.
"The people witnessed massive development after voting for boat. On the contrary, when BNP comes to power, they destroy the country," he told a discussion at a city hotel .
Suchinta Foundation organised the discussion titled '21 August: Present-Future of Bangladesh's Politics' with its chairperson Mohammad A Arafat in the chair.
Freedom fighter and cultural personality Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu, Professor of Dhaka University (DU) Mesbah Kamal, freedom fighter Rokeya Kabir, Tania Rahman, daughter of late president Zillur Rahman, and journalist Mozammel Babu addressed the discussion, among others.
Joy said AL has reached its present stage braving all kinds of conspiracies. Civil society members, BNP and Jamaat have no strength to defeat the united Awami League, he added.
"We can feel the pangs of sufferings for losing family members. I vowed to come to politics and oust the BNP government after the 21 August monstrous attack," the PM adviser said.
The then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was involved in the 21 August monstrous grenade attack, Joy said, adding it took 14 years to complete the trial of the heinous attack.
Mainul Hosein, a former adviser to the past caretaker government, Dr Kamal Hossain and others were masterminds behind the 1/11, he said, adding, "Mainul Hosein helped Tarique Rahman, mastermind of the 21 August grenade attack, to flee the country".
Now they are trying to make Tarique the prime minister bringing him back home, he added.
AL does not do politics of killings like BNP, Joy said, adding a total of 24 AL leaders and activists were killed in the 21 August grenade attack when leaders like Ahsanullah Master and Shah AMS Kibria were also killed during the BNP regime.
"If BNP could have remained in the state power for 10 years like AL, no AL leader could have remained alive," he said.
Replying to BNP leaders' allegation of arresting their leaders and activists, Joy said legal actions will be taken against those who killed people through arson attacks in 2013-14.
Criticising the civil society members, Joy said those who are ashamed of raising voice against killers and terrorists, they actually are trying to save the killers and terrorists.
Talking about the newly-formed Jatiya Oikyafront, he said the Jatiya Oikyafront is trying to rehabilitate the BNP.
Referring to different trials completed under the AL government, Joy said AL has established rule of law. And Tarique Rahman will be brought to book after extradition, he added.
AL does not fear those who are not capable of securing a single vote in the election, he said, adding that AL does not care for the threats of so-called civil society members.
Addressing the discussion, Tania Rahman said the main target of the 21 August grenade attack was to make the AL, which led the country's Liberation War, leaders less.
The speakers said the 21 August attack and the 15 August incident of killing Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with his family member were tied in a same string.
