DHAKA, Oct 21, 2014 - Terming the barbaric killing of Sheikh
Russell on the fateful night of August 15, 1975 as the saddest side of
the carnage, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said her government is
determined to ensure safe future of all children.
"Killing of a child like Russell at point blank range is a most tragic
side of the August 15 carnage. We don't want death of any child in this
manner," she said adding, "We want to give them a safe future and build
up each of them as worthy citizens of the country to enable them to lead
the country in all spheres."
The Prime Minister was distributing prizes among the winners of chess,
drawing and cultural competitions organized by Sheikh Russell Jatiya
Shishu Kishore Parishad marking the 50th birth anniversary of Sheikh
Russell.
Addressing a gathering of children and juveniles at Bangabandhu
International Conference Centre (BICC) here, the Prime Minister said,
"You have to always keep in mind that you are the citizens of a
victorious nation. A victorious nation can never bow head to anybody
except the Almighty."
Recalling the memories of youngest brother Sheikh Russell, the Prime
Minister got emotional saying, "Russell is much younger than me. I had
took care of him in his early age. I don't want to see similar fate in
the life of any children."
"Russell always deprived of fatherly affection since his birth as
Bangabandhu was mostly busy with politics or was in jails for years.
Russell visited the prisons in his very tender age with us, my mother
and relatives to see his father, and he could clearly realize that he is
deprived of his father's affection," Sheikh Hasina, eldest daughter of
Bangabandhu said.
The Prime Minister said the carnage of August 15 was not only aimed at
annihilating a family. The conspiracy was hatched with a view to destroy
the spirit of the war of liberation, distort the history, divert the
country to another direction and put forth the country to the hands of
the defeated force.
PM's advisor Dr Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, secretary general of the
Parishad Mahmudus Samad Chowdhruy, MP, advisor of the Parishad Sirajul
Islam Mollah, MP president of Dhaka chapter K M Shahidullah and member
of Parishad Israt Jahan Ema also spoke on the occasion while president
of the Parishad Raqibur Rahman was in the chair.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government is distributing free
text books to lessen the burden of the parents of poor families.
Students are given scholarship and steps were taken to help the student
get easy access to education.
She said steps were taken for inter-school sports and cultural
competition. "Students should be devoted for study, sports, culture and
history. They have to know the real history of the nation," she said.
She urged the children to know the country's history and how the
Pakistani forces had suppressed us for 24 years and how the country got
liberation through a long struggle under the leadership of Bangabandhu.
The Prime Minister said, every people of Bangladesh would live with full
rights and particularly the rights of every children should be
safeguarded. "The government has taken special measures for the children
with disability," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said children are the future of the country. So children
have to acquire knowledge to run the country efficiently in future and
take forward the nation towards prosperity. "We want to build up the
children in this way," she added.
Praising the role of Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad in
reorganizing the pro-liberation people during military regime, the Prime
Minister said at that time politics was banned and leaders and workers
conducted their activities under the banner of the Parishad.
Sheikh Hasina said, it was unfortunate that our children for a long time
could not know the country's real history inside the country. They had
to go abroad to know the history.
"But now the spirit of the war of liberation is now implanted in the
hearts of new generation. None would be able to misguide them in
future," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Ministers reminded the children about the remarks of
Bnagabandhu that Bangladesh, our motherland, needs golden son to build a
golden nation. "You are the golden son of the soil," she said urging
them to devote them in studies, obey the guardians, teachers and extend
helping hands to the poor.
"Never neglect the blinds, physically disabled and helpless people. See
them as a human being. And in this way we would be able to bring forward
our country," she said.
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