Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said BNP must account for every penny they are spending on hiring lobbyists against Bangladesh’s interests.
“Today, money is being spent on hiring lobbyists ahead of the election. We want to account them for every penny of it. They’ll have to account for every penny,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this in her valedictory speech in the winter session of Parliament she delivered joining the discussion over thanksgiving motion on the President’s speech.
She said the lobbyists had been hired to prevent the trial of war criminals, thwart elections, make elections questionable, protect militants and killers of the Father of the Nation, tarnish the image of Bangladesh, and prevent the progress of Bangladesh, not for good purposes.
Noting that tens of thousands of dollars are being spent on hiring lobbyists, Hasina questioned the sources of the money. “Where did they get the money from? Where did they get this foreign currency from? How did they spend it?” she said.
Raising the rationale of hiring PR firms by the government, she said PR firms are hired for boosting the country’s investment, export and production, as well as protection of the rights of the country and its workers.
“But what was the purpose of the BNP? The purpose is to destroy Bangladesh and mislead the people giving false propaganda and untrue words,” said the Prime Minister.
She questioned how the money went abroad and how tens of thousands of dollars were paid to foreign firms. “They must answer and they must explain,” she added.
Later, Parliament unanimously adopted the thanksgiving motion on the President’s speech, delivered at the outset of the first session in the new year of 2022.
The 16th session (Winter Session) of the current parliament, started on January 16 last, was prorogued on Thursday only after 8 sittings.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury read out the prorogation order of the President on Thursday night.
