NATORE: Feb 1: Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina today said, if voted to power her party and alliance would set up heavy industries in North Bengal to bring about uniform and balanced industrialisation in the country, reports BSS.

Sheikh Hasina, on the fourth-day today of her electioneering tour to the greater Rajshahi district, was addressing six public meetings at Natorc old bus stand. Singra College ground. Nandigram. Ilaibalpur, Gurudaspur and Ban para. She also addressed a number of wayside meetings including those at Takiabazar, Chawkbaidhyanath, Chatni, Basudcvpur, Naldanghabazar, Ahmcdpur, Lakkhipur, Bhubanpara, Baghttpara and Nadigram.

Among others Messrs Sankar Gobinda Chowdhury, Muhammad Shahjahan All, Abdul Quddus, Momlazuddin and Shahidul Islam Dudu, all Awami League nominees from different constituencies of the districts also addressed the meetings.

In this connection she said, in the post-independent Bangladesh Bangabandhu nationalised all heavy industries and made the employees and workers the owners of those national assets.

She regretted that after the killing of Bangabandhu, the Zia government handed over those to the private section on nominal prices in the name of denationalisation. Most of those industries arc now closed and thousands of workers rendered jobless. she added.

Sheikh I lasina said, before bringing any charges against Awami league of making collaboration with Ershad. BNP chief Begum Zia should look al her own face In the mirror. 'It was not Awami League chief but Begum Zia herself who is enjoying her own living costs, educational expenses of her kids, the costs of her furni-. turc. utensils, carpets, sofa, wall screens electricity, water and gas bills and salary of her maid servants, gardeners, maintenance cost of her car and other day-today expenses from the autocratic regime of Ershad," she observed. "As a successor of a former president, I am also entitled to enjoy these facilities,' she said adding that she rejected those out of hatred and anger.

Sheikh I lasina denied the charges of Begum Zia that Awami League prolonged the rule of Ershad by contesting 1986 parliamentary polls. She alleged, rather It was BNP who helped Ershad to stay In power by boycotting that crucial poll-challenge. which Awami League faced courageously and successfully. She asked Khaleda Zia not to destroy the history or hide the truth.

She said, It was decided that three alliances would contest the polls against Ershad's Jatiya Party and there was written agreement over the sharing of seats. '1 put my signature on the document but Begum Zia betrayed fearing that Awami League may gain more out of the poll results,' • she added.