Staff Reporter :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been dubbed as a ‘Phoenix bird’, who underwent trials and tribulations throughout her entire political career for the welfare of the country and its people, the budget speech said on Thursday.
A chapter of the budget speech is bedecked with a beautiful description how Sheikh Hasina was born on 28 September 1947 and how she was affectionately called ‘Hasu’ by all.
It has also described her early schooling in Tungipara and later in 1954 she along with her family moved to Dhaka when she was only eight at that time.
The speech also termed Sheikh Hasina ‘a born politician’ who inherited her political acumen from her father and ancestry.
She was nurtured as a natural leader and politician as she closely witnessed the activities of many political leaders and her father’s political associates.
When her father Bangabandhu was imprisoned in Dhaka Cantonment, Hasina along with Bangamata played catalytic roles in the late 1960s in spearheading political activities.
In the turbulent days of March 1971 Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa and Sheikh Hasina, along with other members of the family, assisted Bangabandhu in taking important, the budget speech said.
During the liberation war of 1971, Sheikh Hasina, an expectant mother spent her time in home detention amid many uncertainties when her father was imprisoned in Pakistani jail.
After victory in 1971, Bangabandhu laid the strong foundations and moved forward to realise the dream of establishing Sonar Bangla but the future of the unfortunate nation soon was shrouded with darkness again.
Bangabandhu was assassinated along with all members of his family but Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana miraculously escaped death as they were in West Germany at that time. She took political asylum in India for six years.
Before entering Bangladesh on 17 May 1981, she was chosen as the President of Awami League in the council meeting of February 1981.
Since then her only ambition is the continued progress and development of the country and the people.
The budget speech said, Bangladesh today has attained an incredible height in the comity of the world because of Prime Minister’s courageous leadership, patriotism, commitment to people of the country and the far-sighted economic philosophy.
“Sheikh Hasina, the worthy daughter of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu, is just like a Phoenix. Having come out of the rubble after losing her parents, brothers and relatives, she dedicated her life to the welfare of the people of Bangladesh,” the budget speech said.
