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Nat'l interest first

Reaffirms PM on Tipai issue; asks BNP to send its own team to site, submit report to JS for discussion

Staff Correspondent
Urging main opposition BNP to send its own delegation to the Tipaimukh Dam site, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said decision on giving consent to the dam's construction would be made with the country's interest in mind. '
"I request the BNP to send its own team there and submit its report to the parliament after returning. The parliamentary standing committee team too will go there and submit report. The Awami League government will then decide what will be good for the country,"
she said.
The prime minister was speaking at a discussion at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre In the Capital. Awami League (AL) organised the programme to mark its 60th founding anniversary, which was on June 23.
Hasina, president of the AL, said no decision regardingTipaimukh Dam would be made that would put the national interest in question.
The AL chief alleged that the BNP is trying to make the Tipaimukh Dam a political issue to mislead people. "But I have my belief that
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people of Bangladesh will not be misled." she said.
She also castigated the BNP for not resolving crucial issues like theTipaimuk Dam and the Ganges water sharing when they were calling the shots.
"It is the Awami League which has to fulfil the expectations of this country." she said adding. "As the Awami League was able to overcome the Ganges water problem, it will be able to solve theTipaimukh problem as well."
The AL president said no good could be done by those who kill thousands of AL leaders and workers, resort to looting of public money, conduct wide-scale corrup-tuin... misuse. powec and. siphon off crores of taka.
She alleged that the BNP wanted to oust the present government through the BDR incident in February. They want to take political advantage by keeping alive issues like Khaleda’s cantonment house and number of front-row seats in parliament, sheclaimed.
On the BNP's not joining the parliament, she said. "It is not a game where you can choose to take pan or stay on the sideline."
Has in a called upon her party leaders and workers to get themselves ready to make any kind of sacrifice for meeting the expectations of the people who voted the AL to power.
On the other much-debated issue of whitening black money, Hasina said the culture of whitening black money started after late Ziaur Rahman assumed power in a military coup after the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It would not stop over nigh t. she added. This time the government in its
proposed budget placed conditions on this opportunity so that the money is invested and people get benefited.
She said many people are criticising this but they forget that former prime minister Khaleda Zia, her sons and former finance minister Saifur Rahman and his family members whitened black money during the last caretaker government’s regime.
The prime minister asked how they got to whiten black money after the Anti-corruption Commission had served notices upon them to submit their weal th statements.
Hasina paid rich tributes to the founding leaders of AL including Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasan^ Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardr, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed. Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman, Liberation War martyrs and party leaders and workers who made supreme sacrifice for the country' over the years.
AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury chaired the discussion conducted by AL publicity secretary Asaduzzam an Noor.
Workers' Party President Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Party acting chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque and Samyabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua and AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Matia Chowdhury. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir also spoke.
Noted poet Syed Shamsul Haque and AL leader and state minister for ICT Yafes Osman recited poems at the programme.