<div><b><br></b></div><div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Sheikh Hasina, president of the Awami League, on Saturday said that aspirants from her party are running in the January 7 parliamentary polls to help make the vote participatory and peaceful.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>She was addressing six public rallies in as many districts simultaneously through video links from her party’s Dhaka office at Tejgaon.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, who is also the prime minister, explained why Awami League opened the electoral contest also to the party’s aspirants who failed to get the party’s tickets this time.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“The reason behind this is that we want people’s participation in the election and they can cast their votes peacefully,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She asked all candidates including the party nominated candidates and the independent contestants to go to every door to seek votes.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Those who will win people’s votes will be the MPs,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The rallies, organised by Awami League, were held virtually at Public Library Filed in Kushtia, Wazir Ali School and College Field in Jhenaidah, Satkhira Government High School in Satkhira, Zilla Stadium in Netrokona, and Sheikh Russell Stadium in Rangamati district as well as Bamna and Patharghata upazilas in Barguna districts from Bangladesh Awami League Office.</div><div><br></div><div>She once again said that she wants the election to be held in a peaceful manner where voters will exercise their right properly.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We want to secure the democracy because if democracy prevails in a country that country advances rapidly and we have proved that,” said the AL chief.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that her party wants to sustain the country’s development momentum for the welfare of the people.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina once again castigated opposition BNP which is boycotting the next month’s balloting fearing it will be rigged by the Awami League.</div><div><br></div><div>“BNP does not come in the election but in the name of resisting it they have unleashed arson terrorism like in 2013 and 2014. They are now out in the field with their dangerous face,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In this connection she mentioned about the recent incidents of train fires and uprooting of tracks.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She questioned about the leadership of BNP as Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman are both convicted in various cases, including corruption.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said that Tarique is doing fine in London playing gamble. “He is giving orders from there and BNP leaders are killing people in Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that although Kahleda is very sick, her son Tarique never came to see her.</div><div><br></div><div>If he has so much courage let him come to the country, she said adding that then the people of Bangladesh will avenge the killings of the innocents.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said that BNP is not at all a political party. Its ally Jamaat-e-Islami is a party of war criminals, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP is a terrorist party while Jamaat is the war criminals’ party, she said adding that&nbsp; “We have to keep the country free from war criminals and terrorists in order to continue the trend of development.”</div><div><br></div><div>She said that the country is not secured in the hands of terrorist BNP and war criminal Jamaat.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Because they don’t t believe in the country’s Independence and spirit of the War of Liberation I am urging all to save the country and the nation from these menaces,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina highlighted the successes of the successive Awami League governments since 2009.</div><div><br></div><div>As the Awami League has been in the power since 2009, the country has changed a lot in the last 15 years, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have attained the recognition as the developing nation. We will have to advance further,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that the election will be fair, and people will choose their desired candidates through election, and democracy will be unhindered.</div><div><br></div><div>“My request to you all is we have to continue the democratic process, maintain the development spree,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister warned that the Awami League will not allow anyone to play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of Bangladesh. “This has to be remembered.”</div><div><br></div><div>Senior party leaders were present in Dhaka Awami League office while the Awami League nominated candidates and other leaders attended from the six districts. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>