Pre-polls agitation not mass movement: Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said that the movement unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat to foil the 10th parliamentary elections cannot be called a ‘mass movement’ since people had not responded to such militant and terrorist acts. “Despite various attempts to foil and deter the election (January 5), people didn’t respond to those and I extend my thanks to the people of Bangladesh and also express my gratitude to them for helping us assume office again,” she said. The Prime Minister was speaking before the high officials of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry conference room at the secretariat. This was her first meeting at the Power Ministry since she assumed office as the Prime Minister for the third time. PM’s Power and Energy Adviser Dr Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, State Minister Nasrul Hamid Bipu, secretaries concerned of the Power Division and Energy and Mineral Resources Division were, among others, present at the meeting, according to a news agency.