PM pledges legal action against vandalism in name of Islam

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Sunday) told the parliament that her government wouldn’t tolerate non-Islamic activities like arson attacks and vandalism in the name of Islam and vowed to take legal actions against those involved in such activities.

“I can only tell that legal action will be taken against those responsible for such misdeeds,” said the Leader of the House while delivering valedictory speech in the twelfth session of the 11th parliament that was prorogued today after three working days amid a massive surge in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mentioning that the Hefajat started mayhem when the nation was set to celebrate the golden jubilee of the country’s independence from March 17 to 26, she said, “Did Hefajat do it alone? The BNP-Jamaat alliance is behind it.”

The Prime Minister said it is sure that all the Hefajat men were not involved in the mayhem.

Hefajat men spread a rumour relating to killing of people in the Baitul Mukarram Mosque on March 26 and conducted destruction from March 26 to March 31, she added.

The premier said BNP and Jamaat gave separate messages supporting the Hefajat on March 27 and 28 which is part of the conspiracy against the state.

After calling hartal, the Hefajat, without any provocation, had carried out vandalism across the country, attacking Awami League (AL) offices, houses of AL leaders and activists and government offices.

Mentioning that Hefajat men even damaged the holy Quran, Sheikh Hasina questioned what kind of ‘Muslim’ they are.

The Prime Minister said the BNP and Jamaat have no political ideology as they supported Hefajat in protest against the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the golden jubilee celebration of independence but they welcomed Modi when he reached Bangladesh.

The Hefajat has been conducting destruction in the name of Islam while the BNP and Jamaat are giving them patronage.

Referring to Hefajat’s joint secretary general Mamunul Haque’s stay with a woman at a private resort at Sonargaon in Narayanganj (on Saturday), she said that he went to a resort with a woman for entertainment after conducting the mayhem.

She added that the Hefajat leader first introduced the woman with whom he was held as his wife and later he told his real wife (over phone that was leaked last night) that he had to introduce the woman as wife due to the situation arose at that time.

She called upon the Hefajat men to realize what kind of leadership they have.

Describing the Islam as a religion of peace, stability and development, the Prime Minister said that words like militancy, terrorism and adultery have been added to the Islam due to misdeeds of some people.

She said such kind of activities wouldn’t be acceptable in any way and her government would not tolerate anything which will lead to the destruction of Islam, the best religion of the world.

The premier, however, called upon the countrymen to have patience, saying, “I will say to the countrymen to have patience. We have to have patience.”

The people of the country will in no way accept non-Islamic activities in the name of Islam, she added.

She stated that as many as 116 countries, including the USA, the UK, France, Canada, and Russia, and 33 international organizations, including OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) and the UN (United Nations), gave felicitation messages marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and golden jubilee of the country’s independence.

The Prime Minister described pouring messages in large numbers from abroad as a matter of pride for the countrymen. A group of people could not be happy with this, she said and questioned, “Why?

Require collective fight against coronavirus:

Regarding the fresh surge of the Covid-19, the Prime Minister called upon all to come forward to stop further spread of the coronavirus as its second wave has hit the country with more strength.

“The second wave of coronavirus is becoming more dangerous across the globe -the infection and fatality rate of the virus has shown a sudden surge from March 29 to 31 and since then it is on the rising trend,” she said.

Noting that she had just signed the file to impose the week-long lockdown aimed at making sure protection of all, the premier said that she knows everyone will face a little trouble due to the shutdown.

She added: “But even then I will say that life is big, life comes before everything.”

So, the premier said, all have to follow the health protocol, wear facemasks and maintain social distancing and stop all sorts of social gatherings such as marriage ceremonies.

She asked the authorities concerned to confirm quarantine of the home returnees from different countries.

The Prime Minister requested all concerned to take special care of the children and the youths as the Covid-19 infection rate is much higher among them although the elderly people were seen infected with the virus in the first wave.

She said that they have to stop the tourist spots to check the sudden surge in the Covid-19 cases.

Sheikh Hasina, the Leader of the House, said that the 12th session of the 11th parliament had been prorogued due to the second surge of the coronavirus.

Mentioning that a number of lawmakers have died of coronavirus, she expressed profound shock and sorrow at the deaths of the people in the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister said the vaccination against the Covid-19 would be continued, adding her government has already brought vaccine to the country and is making efforts to purchase more.

She reiterated her call to the countrymen to bring each inch of land under cultivation to face possible shortage of foods due to the pandemic.

The premier expressed shock and sorrow at the death of sitting lawmaker Aslamul Haque.

Development works to be continued:

The Prime Minister said that development works would be continued despite the fact the coronavirus has somehow affected the development spree.

She said her government has been working to make Bangladesh self-reliant in every sector. She referred to the innovation of a new variety of onion after conducting research. This will help deal with the crisis the country faces sometimes for onion and will dispel the dependency on foreign countries for the kitchen item.

The Prime Minister said that her government is also conducting research to find a way to face the crisis of edible oil.

She reiterated her vow to make Bangladesh a developed and prosperous country by 2041, saying that her government has already fulfilled a pledge by making the country a middle-income one.

The Prime Minister said that the success has come as they run the state being imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War and following the footprints of the Father of the Nation.

She thanked the countrymen as they voted the Awami League to power and gave the scope to run the state time and again.

The premier said that they have adopted a Delta Plan to give the country a guideline how it will be run towards development.

Source: BSS

AH