No wrongdoing in Padma bridge project

Criticising the World Bank's cancellation of the Padma bridge loan over corruption allegations, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government would not take any blame for something it had not done. “I am confident that we did nothing wrong. We will not accept any calumny. Why should we take the blame for an offence we had never committed?” The prime minister was speaking at the national council of Awami Swechhasebak League at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital. "How could corruption take place when the World Bank did not disburse any money? For whose interest have they cheated the people of Bangladesh by cancelling the loan agreement all of a sudden?” asked Hasina, president of the ruling Awami League. She mentioned the government had so far spent Tk 1,500 crore on land acquisition and rehabilitation. And no corruption allegations had been raised, not even by the WB, over it, said Hasina. “We have more than $10 billion in foreign-exchange reserves and it is not a big deal to spend $1 billion from it. Inshallah, we will be able to start the bridge's construction in time. "We have to be bold to take the project forward. I know they [the WB] are very powerful but we want to say that Bangladesh won't bow to anyone." “The people of this country fought a war against powerful Pakistan occupation forces at the call of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and defeated them. We are a triumphant nation. We will be able to build the bridge on our own.” "People have again risen against injustice." She said the government would not beg to anyone for the project and reiterated that the project would be completed during the present government's tenure. The prime minister said if donors come up with offers to fund the project, the government would decide on it after scrutiny. She alleged that the previous BNP-led alliance government had halted the initiative taken during the last Awami League government's tenure to build the bridge. "We resumed the process after coming to power. They [the WB] wanted to give us loan and we signed a contract. But they cancelled it suddenly on a pretext." Hasina said the global lender cancelled its loans in power and communications sectors during the previous BNP-Jamaat government's tenure over corruption allegations, but that could not hinder development works in the communications sector. Casting aside doubts that the government would not be able to build the bridge with its own funds, Hasina said she had received overwhelming response from common people and they had proved that the government was on the right path. She alleged that the leader of the opposition and her family members had been indulged in corruption and siphoned off money abroad. Hasina said the trials of war criminals, 10-truck arms haul case and August 21 grenade attack case were underway, and the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Referring to the BDR mutiny, she questioned why the opposition leader had “gone underground just two to three hours before the mutiny.” She said the trial of the BDR mutiny case was being held in a disciplined way and urged all to be alert about those trying to obstruct the trial to save the killers. She directed Awami Swechhasebak League leaders and activists to showcase the government's development activities and work to help build Bangabandhu's “Sonar Bangla”. AL Organising Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, also founder president of Swechhasebak League, said the BNP-Jamaat alliance wants to create chaos in the country in the name of anti-government movement only to protect Khaleda Zia's two corrupt sons and the war criminals. Later, Molla Md Abu Kawser was elected as Swechhasebak League president and Pankaj Debnath was re-elected as its general secretary in the organisation's council session.