Awami League Central Working Committee on Friday decided to hold its 22nd national council on December 24 at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city. Awami League president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting at her official residence Ganabhaban.

After the meeting, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader informed journalists saying the council will be held in a day this time.

He said that the inaugural session will be held in the morning, while the council session in the afternoon to be followed by a colourful cultural function in the evening.

Awami League president Sheikh Hasina will deliver the welcome address in the inaugural session.

In her speech prime minister Sheikh Hasina said BNP can wage movements as her party believes in democracy.

‘But, the BNP men who are involved in killing and terrorism, including arson attacks and militancy, would have to face the music. They will not be spared,’ she said in her introductory speech while presiding over the AL central executive committee meeting at her official Ganabhaban residence here.

The prime minister said people voted AL to power time and again as they have faith in her party and hoped that they will vote for it this time too.

‘But, the people will not vote for the BNP men who are involved in terrorism, killings, arson attacks, plundering of the public wealth, bombs and grenade attacks and money laundering, ‘ she added.

The AL chief asked her party leaders and workers to arrange the 22nd council of the party in an ordinary manner to save money due to the current global crisis.

She asked to form a council preparatory committee.

The AL, however, has announced its central council on December 24, said the party’s General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister in a news briefing after the meeting.

Sheikh Hasina said the BNP nowadays has been able to wage movements peacefully despite the facts that one after another bomb and grenade attacks were carried out in the meetings of the Awami League after 2001 when the BNP-Jamaat alliance government was in power.

Grenade and bomb attacks were carried out in the meeting of AL leaders Suranjit Sengupta, Kamran and Sheikh Helal, she said, adding that Helal survived the attack as one fell upon him.

Besides, the BNP Jamaat alliance government had conducted inhuman torture on thousands of AL leaders and activists and killed many of them, including Manjurul Imam and Mamtaj, she said.

‘There is no single upazila and district across the country where leaders and activists of the Awami League were not killed (during the BNP-Jamaat regime). They wanted to destroy the AL after killing its men. But, the fact is that the AL is becoming stronger day by day as the party has gained people’s faith and confidence,’ she said.

Recalling the inhuman torture on the AL leaders including AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir by the BNP, she said, ‘The BNP’s brutal torture on the AL leaders and activists should not be forgotten rather it should be made public time and again.’

Bomb attacks were carried out in 63 districts out of 64 in a synchronized way during the BNP-Jamaat regime, she said, adding that terrorists and militants had brought out processions under police escort in Bangladesh during their regime.

‘Sounds of bomb explosions and bullets were heard every night at each of the public universities including Dhaka University during the BNP-Jamaat regime,’ she said.

BNP-Jamaat alliance and Ershad governments were engaged in the politics of torture, killings, corruption and terrorism whenever they were in power, the Premier added.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh had also been made number one in corruption for five times in the world due to the BNP-Jamaat alliance government’s unbridled corruption.

The Prime Minister said the AL government made Bangladesh surplus in rice production with an additional 26 metric ton of rice from a deficit of 40 lakh metric ton of rice during its first term, while the BNP government had also swallowed the additional amount of rice after assuming power for the second time.

She said they have increased the electricity generation to 4,300MW from 1,600MW after assuming power in 1996 while the BNP government had reduced the power production capacity after coming to power in 2001.

The prime minister said the foreign currency reserve was only 3.8 billion US dollars during the BNP government while it has increased to 48 billion US dollars during the present government.

She said the foreign currency reserve has declined as the government is importing capital machinery for the 100 special economic zones across the country and purchasing agricultural inputs as the government has mechanised the agriculture sector.

The Premier said the government has to import LNG and gas from foreign countries as the industries in Bangladesh required more gas beyond its capacity of producing those.

And for all these reasons, declining of the foreign currency reserves is usual, she added.

The Awami League President said they are using the money for the development of the country and its return would definitely come and contribute immensely to give the country’s economy a strong footing.

She said her government has taken those projects which would effectively help increase income of the countrymen and make the country’s economy strong.

‘We’re not taking big development schemes blindly, rather examining those properly,’ she said.