CHANDPUR, Mar 17:–Prime Minister Khaleda Zia today dismissed the opposition plea for recasting the caretaker government system and said election would be held as per provision of the Constitution, reports UNB.

“The people of Bangladesh will abide by the Constitution and go to the polls accordingly,” she told a huge public meeting at Chandpur Stadium.

Criticizing the main opposition for their sell-contradictory stance, the PM said they want to sidetrack the caretaker system on the pretext of reform of the system as they have no chances of winning the next general election. So they want to keep off the election.

Khaleda said while the government has been carrying out massive development activities across the country, the opposition party is demanding changes in the caretaker-government system as they have no issue on hand.

“Once they billed the system as the best one and the concept was exportable,” she told the gathering.

Comparing the performances of BNP, and four-party alliance governments with that of Awami League, Khaleda, the chairperson of BNP and leader of the present coalition, claimed that there is no alternative to their regimes for advancing the country and ensuring people’s welfare.

Stressing the need for continuity of government, the Prime Minister, amidst claps and slogans from her audience, said the BNP-led alliance government would have to come to power again to keep up the current “development upsurge”.

Khaleda said the Awami League, during its post-independence rule and the last regime, had failed to ensure welfare of seven crore and 14 crore people respectively.

“They have proved their inaptitude and failure in running the government as they did give nothing but famines, corruption and terrorism,” she said.

Mentioning their destructive activities, Prime Minister Khaleda said people now call Awami League lawmakers as “lawbreakers”—and they would not support the lawbreakers.

Health Minister Dr Khandokar Mosharraf Hossain, Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda, PM’s Political Secretary Harris Chowdhury, State Minister for Communications Salahuddin Ahmed, State Minister for Education Ehsanul Huq Milan, Nurul Huda MP, MA Matin MP, GM Fazlul Huq MP, Alamgir Haider Khan MP and local Jamaat Ameer Ahamadullah Mia, among others, addressed the meeting. Chandpur sadar MP and district BNP president SA Sultan presided.

Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the commissioning of traffic on Chandpur bridge over Dakatia river on the Chandpur-Raypur-Begumganj highway. The 248-meter-long and 9.73-meter-width bridge with 4-kilometer approach road cost Tk 18.12 crore.

She also inaugurated the upgraded Chandpur Sadar Hospital which costs nearly Tk 14 crore.

The PM also inaugurated the newly built Bhaban of government Children’s Home at Baburhat in the district and laid foundation stone of new Bhaban of Chandpur Press Club.

Khaleda distributed cows and goats among poor men and women under poverty-reduction programme at the meeting venue.

Prime Minister Khaleda urged people to remain alert about a political party--indicating Awami League—as she said they continued to create chaos through their unruly activities on the street in the name of movement.

She questioned if these could be the activities of any patriotic party and if a former Prime Minister of the country, going abroad, could urge donors not to give aid to the country.

Prime Minister Khaleda apprehended a conspiracy now afoot to jeopardize the democracy, stop development and make this independent, sovereign country subservient.

She asserted that people would again resist the “conspirators” as in the past and advance the country under leadership of the BNP and its allies.

The BNP chairperson said Awami League, as an old party, proved a failure in running the country.

She alleged they are not friends of the country—they are working to serve the interest of their “foreign lackeys”.

Denouncing opposition attempt to brand Bangladesh as dysfunctional state, Begum Zia wondered how a country can be dysfunctional when massive development took place, poverty decreased,per-capita income, average life expectancy increased.

She noted that many foreign investors, including Tata of India, and Malaysian and UAE investors, are interested to invest in Bangladesh witnessing the congenial atmosphere. This would create massive employment and economy would further strengthen, elevating Bangladesh from medium-income to higher-income group of countries.

“They (AL) don’t want such progress, so they are conspiring to make Bangladesh poor and dependent on others, halt education of children, trade and business,” she told the meeting.