Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has vowed zero tolerance for any “gupto bahini” or secret group conspiring to create disorder on the streets and obstruct the country’s development.
He accused some political parties and their “gupto bahini” of misleading people and attempting to create fresh unrest at a time when the country needs to focus on economic and social development.
“Those who want to block the streets and mislead people-Bangladesh’s people must decide what action should be taken against them,” he said at a rehabilitation assistance programme for flood-affected people at the Hatazari Government College ground in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday evening.
Tarique said the country had reached a stage where no one should be allowed to “play with the fate of the people”.
“Now is the time to build the country and change the fate of its people,” he said, calling for the country’s working-age population to be turned into a productive force.
He urged people to stand against anyone who creates obstacles to national development.
“Our only goal and objective is to change the fate of the country and its people,” the prime minister said.
Tarique said implementing the BNP’s 31-point reform agenda was now one of the party’s key responsibilities, saying that voters had endorsed the programme.
“The BNP will move the country forward by overcoming all obstacles to fulfil and implement the people’s demands,” he said.
The prime minister also announced plans to upgrade the health infrastructure at the grassroots level.
He said all 503 upazila health complexes and hospitals across the country would be upgraded from 50 beds to 101 beds to improve access to healthcare for people in rural and remote areas.
He also announced free school uniforms, along with new textbooks, for disadvantaged primary schoolchildren.
The initiative aims to ensure that children do not miss school because their families cannot afford uniforms.
The government will soon present a detailed 10-year roadmap for the country’s electricity and gas sectors in parliament, Tarique said.
The long-term plan is intended to provide certainty to local and foreign businesses and encourage investment, he added.
Earlier in the day, Tarique met Hefazat-e-Islam chief Allama Shah Mahibullah Babunagari at Al Jamiatul Islamia Azizul Ulum Babunagar Madrasa in Fatikchhari.
He later met teachers of Hatazari Madrasa and exchanged greetings with them. He apologised for not being able to spend more time with the teachers.
In the evening, he attended the rehabilitation assistance programme at Hatazari Government College and distributed assistance among people affected by floods.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and State Minister for Land and Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin were also present at the programme.
