<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that the aim of her government is to preserve democracy and improve the fate of the people.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Preserving democracy and developing the fate of the people is our aim,” she said while inaugurating the Mirpur-Kalshi flyover in Dhaka.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The flyover has been constructed to ease commute in Mirpur, Mirpur DOHS, Pallabi, Kalshi, Mahakhali, Banani, Uttara and Dhaka airport.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister opened the flyover to traffic from a function at Kalshi intersection, adjoining Balur Math, in Dhaka.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina said that after much struggle, AL has been able to ensure people’s voting rights.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“People have voted for AL. We won in the 2008 election; we were again elected by the people in 2014 and 2018. AL came to power elected by the votes of people,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina said that people of Bangladesh are aware of their voting rights, and if anyone rigged elections, they would never accept that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this connection, she said that everyone remembers the February 15, 1996 election during which BNP tried to hold onto power through rigging votes, and Khaleda Zia declared herself as the prime minister.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">People did not accept that, the PM said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“March 30 of the same year, Khaleda Zia was compelled to resign due to a mass movement,” she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister recalled that similar incident happened when BNP was in the office after 2001.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that BNP included 1.23 crore of fake voters in the voter list and declared the 2006 election which was supposed to be held in January, 2007.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that many were elected uncontested, while people realised that their votes will be rigged. They initiated a movement again and Khaleda Zia was ousted, she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM said that in 2008 election, BNP managed to bag 29 seats out of 300. Later, they won another seat in a by-election.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We came to power repeatedly through the votes of the people, by attaining their trust and confidence, and developing the country,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina, also the AL chief, said that her party believes in the empowerment of people while BNP is trying to confuse people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that Bangladesh is on the highway of development and the government has been able to develop Bangladesh as AL has been in power for a long time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM said that Bangladesh, by 2041, will be a developed, prosperous and ‘Smart Bangladesh’.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We have formulated a plan for that and are devising the five-year plan based on that to take the country forward. Bangladesh will never look back. It will never be dependent on anyone. We will produce our own food, develop the country, and will not beg to anyone,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM said that economic recession and food scarcity have engulfed the whole world, where even the fates of developed countries are at stake.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that the land in Bangladesh is fertile, and urged all once again to utilize all arable land in cultivation. “Not a single inch of land should be left out from cultivation activities. Produce whatever you can. We will meet our demands and if necessary, we will help others.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, Army General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and Dhaka-16 MP Md Elias Uddin Mollah also spoke at the programme. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>