Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday described Bangladesh Awami League as one of the most “well-organised political parties” in the subcontinent and cited confidence that no-one could destroy the organisation.

“Awami League is one of the well-organised and oldest political parties in the subcontinent … none could break the party despite the attacks it faced time and again and none would be able to do it in future either, Insha Allah,” she said.

Hasina, the Awami League president, said this while presiding over a discussion commemorating the 70th founding anniversary of the party at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday.

AL advisory council members Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, and Mohammed Nasim, eminent historian Prof Muntasir Mamoon, AL joint secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, Dhaka North City AL unit President AKM Rahmatullah, MP, and, Dhaka South City AL Unit President Haji Abul Hasnat took part in the discussion.

AL Publication and Publicity Secretary Hasan Mahmud and Deputy Secretary Aminul Islam Amin conducted the discussion while Deputy Leader of the Jatiya Sangsad and senior Presidium member of the party Syeda Sazeda Chowdhury and other senior leaders were present.

The PM advised her party men to emulate the ideology of the Father of the Nation.

“You’ll have to dedicate yourselves to the welfare of the country and people by following the ideology of the Father of the Nation and your other predecessors,” she said.

Hasina said Bangabandhu loved the country, its people, and aimed to bring welfare.

“So every leader and worker of the party will have to move ahead with the ideology of the Father of the Nation and they will have to follow the ‘simple living and ‘high thinking’ ideology that we were taught in our childhood,” she said.

She added that it was possible to achieve many things by leading a simple life and making sacrifices. “Great sacrifice is needed for great achievement and Bangladesh is advancing towards the peak of development as we’re following this principle.”

She said the party leaders and workers would have to mingle with the people and cut off arrogance. “We’ll have to build a country where people’s welfare will be ensured and where people will live holding their heads up high.”

The prime minister asked the party men to further strengthen the organisation. Pointing out the sacrifice of the Awami League leaders and workers since its inception, Hasina said no leaders of any party except Awami League made such sacrifices.

She said many conspiracies were hatched to split Awami League before the independence and after Bangabandhu’s assassination. But those only made the party shine like a diamond, she said.

The prime minister said the leaders and workers endured torture and repression since AL’s inception. “AL founding general secretary Shamsul Haque lost mental balance due to torture by the Pakistani rulers and repeated jail and repression pushed him towards death.”

She said it was true that Maulana Bhashani left Awami League but he was a part of the history. “Maulana Bhashani used to write letters to Bangabandhu when he needed anything and the Father of the Nation did not mind to send everything that he needed,” she said.

The premier added that she also extended support to Bhashani’s family after her return to the country in 1981.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s stunning socioeconomic development in the last 10 years, the prime minister said it had been possible due to the continuity of the Awami League government.

In this connection, she expressed gratitude to the people and the party men. “The people have given us the scope to serve them by having faith in us and electing us time and again.”

The AL chief said the fate of the people changed and they got something whenever the party came to power.

“We’ve brought down poverty rate to 21 percent from 40 percent and I’ve announced that we will cut down the rate further.”