Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said a global tender for construction of the Padma Bridge will be floated by the end of the current month and the construction would be completed if her party voted back to power.

The construction of the huge bridge would be completed if the people vote the ruling Awami League back to power again, the PM said adding that, the bridge construction would be done by the own finance.

The Prime Minister said this while exchanging views with the grass-roots level leaders of Shariatpur district Awami League at her official Ganobhaban residence.

Pointing to the conspiracy against the construction of the much-awaited Padma Bridge, Sheikh Hasina said a vested quarter always hatched conspiracy against the bridge.

She said that the donors refused to disburse the fund saying that there was 'conspiracy of corruption' where they did not release a single penny.

The Prime Minister said the government spent Taka 1,500 crore for land acquisition and rehabilitation of the affected families. "But none could raise any allegation about the works," she said.

She said the government will construct the bridge at Mawa-Janjira point with its own funding. "For that we gave allocation from the budget and the international tender for the construction of the bridge will be floated at the end of this month," she added.

Sheikh Hasina said the government will at least start the construction of the bridge during its tenure. "If we voted to power again in the next election, we will complete the job in a faster way," she said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said state power would be changed through uninterrupted democratic process and upholding the constitution and none would be allowed to play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people.

"In the past, state power was changed through killing and coups as well as various conspiracies. But now, the state power would be changed through uninterrupted democratic process and upholding the constitution," she said.

She said opportunity has come to start this process in Bangladesh, then uninterrupted democracy would continue and the country will witness more socioeconomic progress.

The Prime Minister again said that the next elections would be held in the way the nations having parliamentary democracy stage polls.

She also categorically said that the next elections will be free, neutral and fair and the constitutional process will be followed for uninterrupted democratic process.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League chief, said this in her introductory speech at a view-exchange meeting with the grassroots leaders of Shariatpur district unit of her party at her official Ganobhaban residence here this morning.

About the submission of adjournment motion of the opposition BNP in Parliament and later its withdrawal, she said that BNP did this as they don't want to hold the dialogue.

She mentioned that the BNP thought that the ruling party would not accept the adjournment motion for discussion, but they (AL) accepted it in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of Jatiya Sangsad.

"After that we heard that BNP withdrew their adjournment motion," she added.

The Prime Minister said that the government wanted to hold the dialogue, but the opposition does not want that. "By the withdrawal of the adjournment motion, BNP has proved that they don't want the dialogue," she said.

Deputy Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shawkat Ali, AL Presidium Members Kazi Zafarullah and Satish Chandra Roy, PM's Advisor Dr Alauddin Ahmed, Joint Secretaries Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, Organizing Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, MP, Labour Affairs Secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj, Office Secretary Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan and central leader Enamul Haque Shameem, among others, were present at the meeting.

AL Organizing Secretary Ahmad Hossain conducted the view-exchange meeting which was convened as part of a series of view exchange meetings with the grassroots-level leaders and workers initiated by the ruling Awami League at the end of the year 2011.

The office-bearers of Shariatpur district unit AL, national committee members, lawmakers of the party, administrator of Shariatpur District Council, presidents and general secretaries of upazila, thana, union and municipal units and upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen of the party, mayors and councillors of municipalities, chairmen of the union councils and presidents and general secretaries of the associate and like-minded bodies of the Awami League district unit were also present at the meeting.

The Prime Minister said the actors of the 'minus two' formula during the army-backed caretaker government are still active and their desire to go to power is yet to end.

"Their conspiracies are on and those would continue. So the people will have to remain alert about their plot," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the actors of 'minus two' formula have a great desire to go to power but do not have the courage to go to the people for vote.

"These people always want to create an unstable situation in the country to get share of some power from those whether it is military dictator or unelected government," she said

Trashing the critics of the proposed budget who described it (the budget) as highly ambitious, the Prime Minister said "yes the budget is highly ambitious."

"Of course we have high ambition to change the fate of the country, if we could not change the lot of the people what is the reason for our politics, why are we doing politics," she questioned.

She said that the government is striving hard to improve the condition of the people of the country. "We will do everything whatever necessary to improve the living standard of the people and make their life meaningful," she said.

The Prime Minister said the aim of the government is to turn Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021 by freeing it from the curse of hunger and poverty. "We want that the people will stand on their own feet," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the government would use its limited resources properly so that people of the country could stand on their own with keeping their heads held high.

Criticizing a section of intellectuals, she said that these people don't like anything. "They see everything wrong whatever good things the government does," she said.

The Prime Minister said these intellectuals are giving advices that the government has to depend on the revenue collection to implement the budget.

"Of course we have to depend on the revenue collection. We want to build the country depending on the revenue collection. Would we go door to door with holding the bags of alms in our hands," she questioned.

About the destructive acts of the BNP-led opposition, the Prime Minister said they are unleashing violent acts in the country to protect war criminals.

She said Khaleda Zia would not be able to save the 1971 culprits from the trial as it is a demand of the nation and AL's commitment. "We are fulfilling the demand of the nation and we would also fulfill in future," she said.

The Prime Minister urged the people of the country to be vocal against the misdeeds of the opposition.

Sheikh Hasina illustrated her government's tremendous successes in the fields of agriculture, education, economy, health, information technology, food security and women empowerment.

"When Awami League comes to power, the people get something, but when BNP goes to power, the people get nothing except terrorism, militancy and corruption," she said.

She urged the party leaders and workers to project the government successes before the people side by side with strengthening the organizations at the grassroots level so that the party could come in power again through the next general election.

Ends/AMA/08/06/13