BNP men face no political cases: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said no case filed against BNP men is political as they were accused of specific criminal charges that include arson terrorism, grenade attack, firearms smuggling and corruption.

"BNP is now going everywhere and crying about the cases against them. Ask them, what are the cases about? They committed crimes and legal actions were taken again them. It is the reality," she said.

“No case against them (BNP men] is a political one ... The cases against them are for different crimes. They committed offenses. So, legal action is being taken against them,” she said.

The Prime Minister said the cases should be disposed of quickly to ensure punishment for those crimes.

She said these while speaking at a view exchange with central committee members of Bangladesh Krishak League on the occasion of its 52th founding anniversary at her official Ganabhaban residence on Friday morning.

Mentioning that they unleashed arson violence in 2013 and 2014 to resist the 2014 general election, she said during the mayhem they burnt 3800 cars, buses, launches and trains.

About violence before the 12th parliamentary election, she said they committed the 28th October incident and killed a mother and her child by setting fire to trains to thwart the polls.

“Won’t cases be filed against those who committed these things? Would people worship them?” she said.

Turning down the claim that 60 lakh BNP leaders and workers are in jail, the Prime Minister said that all jails of the country do not have the capacity to accommodate so many people.

“They’re claiming that their 60 lakh men are arrested, but we (jails) don't even have such capacity (to accommodate so many people),” she said.

The premier said if so many lakhs of BNP men are detained in jails, it means all who are now in jails are their men and there are no other criminal anymore. “It means all criminals there (in the jails) belong to BNP,” she said.

Describing the horrific scenes of violence and torture on Awami League leaders and activists during the BNP regimes, the PM said her government didn’t go to take revenge, rather utilized the merit and power in developing the country and working for its people.

“It is their good luck that we are in power. They still get scopes to talk (raise voice) as we are not revengeful like them. They talk all the day using the loud speaker and then they say they don't get the scope to speak,” she said.

President of Bangladesh Krishak League Samir Chandra presided over the function.

Bangladesh Krishak League, an associate body of Bangladesh Awami League, was established on April 19, 1972.

Sheikh Hasina has stressed the need for increasing production of crops to ensure cooperative agriculture following the footprints of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

She said the cooperative agriculture can protect huge quantity of arable land by erasing ail.

"Make sure that not a single inch of land remains uncultivated," she said.

The Prime Minister also emphasized on making the agriculture mechanized alongside doing research in agriculture.

"Bangladesh is the most successful in agriculture research. We have to continue the trend of the success," she said.

The premier briefly described her government’s initiatives that include food preservation and food management for the overall development of the agriculture sector.

"The agriculture of Bangladesh has developed as the government gave priority to research in agriculture and farmers as well," she said.

The premier said her government has been giving subsidy of Tk 26,000 crore in agriculture.

The food production has increased with various initiatives taken by the Awami League government, she added.

"Once those who thought about salt-rice or pulse-rice, now think about fish-meat-egg. So, those who criticise the government, should consider these to decide whether Bangladesh is developed," she said.

Krishak League leaders led by Samir Chandra and acting General Secretary Bishwanath Sarker Bitu greeted the premier on the organization’s 52nd founding anniversary.

The Prime Minister gifted the Krishak League leaders with vegetables produced in the Ganabhaban.