Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday laid emphasis on maintaining the development spree to make Bangladesh a developed and prosperous country, reports the UNB.

‘Whichever party comes to power, it should keep up the development spree for the country’s prosperity,’ she said.

The Prime Minister said this in her introductory speech at a dialogue between the 14-party alliance and 24 political parties at her official residence Ganobhaban.

She said the country achieved 7.86 percent GDP growth and brought down the inflation to 5.4 percent due to various steps taken by her government.

‘We’ve been able to bring down poverty rate to 21 percent from 41 percent and due to these successes. Bangladesh is now a role model of development in the world,’ Hasina said.

She said the continuation of the government has made it possible to maintain the country’s development spree.

Hasina said her government had declared the ‘Charter for Change’ before the 2008 general election. ‘We’ve been able to implement the charter by making massive socioeconomic development in the country over the last 10 years.’

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh has graduated to a developing country from the least developed one due to various steps of her government.

‘The country would have been turned into a developing country within 10 years of independence had Bangabandhu been alive,’ she said.

The PM said her government resolved land boundary dispute with India as well as maritime boundary problem with India and Myanmar peacefully and maintaining good relations with them.

Hasina referred to the brutal repression and torture on the Awami League leaders and workers after the 2001 polls.

‘The BNP-Jamaat nexus had unleashed terrorism in the country and inflicted repression on the AL leaders and workers from 2001-2005 in the way the Pakistani occupation forces did in 1971,’ she said.