<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday reaffirmed her vow to make the country’s upcoming national election free, fair and neutral truly reflecting the will of the people.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;“There are some people who talk about free, fair and neutral election. But the country has witnessed free and neutral elections whenever the Awami League has been in power,” she told a jubilant rally while inaugurating the Dhaka-Bhanga railway line at Mawa close to the Padma Bridge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She unveiled the inaugural plaque of the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project before joining the rally.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister slammed those who talk of throwing her Awami League government out of power.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“And the people who talk about free and fair election cast Awami League out of power every day. In fact they don’t want neutral election,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Without naming BNP Hasina said that this party was established by a person who grabbed power illegally. “They came to power by rigging votes.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, in a free and fair election held in 2008 BNP-Jamaat 20-party alliance got only 29 out of 300 parliamentary seats as people rejected vote thieves. Since then they have been staying away from election.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Apart from boycotting the polls, they resorted to arson terrorism, killing innocent people and destruction of public properties,” she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, urged the people not to allow vested quarters to play duck and drakes with the fate of the Bengali nation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that people of the country attained independence with blood and they will not allow any one to destroy it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bangladesh, she said, will march forward with its head held high in the world bearing the ideology of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she declared.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She reiterated her vow to transform Bangladesh into a smart country by 2041. “We will build smart population, smart economy, smart government and smart society. It is our goal, No one will able to hold back the Bangalees. The Bangalee (nation) will remain united.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Without naming Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Younus, the prime minister said that the World Bank stopped the funding to the Padma Bridge because of this person only for the position of a managing director, which he lost due to age limit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I promised that day, we will build the Padma Bridge with own financing, and we have done it,” she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bangabandhu’s younger daughter Sheikh Rehana was present at the ceremony.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With Railways Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan in the chair, Secretary of the Ministry&nbsp; Md. Humayun Kabir delivered welcome address.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Member of the Parliament from the local constituency (Munsiganj-2) Sagufta Yasmin Emily, Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen also spoke.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the outset, a video documentary showcasing Pamda Bridge rail link project along with other development works of Bangladesh Railway under the present government was screened.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Railways Ministry ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Kamrul Ahsan and Project Director Afzal Hossain were on the dais. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>