Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday hoped that all the political parties will join the upcoming national election strengthening the democratic system in the country.

‘The election will be free and fair...that’s what we want to do. I hope other political parties will also join the election,’ she said.

The Prime Minister said this while talking to Jubo League leaders when they came to greet her at her official residence Ganobahaban on the occasion of the 46th founding anniversary of their organisation, reports the UNB.

Sheikh Hasina said the reality is that democracy never gets stronger when a political party boycotts elections.

Sheikh Hasina, the chief of the ruling Awami League, said democracy will have the solid footing with the participation of all the political parties in the next 11th general election.

‘It’s possible to develop a country with democracy,’ she said adding that the upcoming election as very important for the country.

The PM went on saying, ‘We’ve taken some mega projects as we pledged to reduce poverty of the country. We’ve been able to bring down the poverty level to 21 percent. If we’re voted to power for another term, we’ll be able to reduce it to 4-5 percent. That means it will be 17-16 percent. We’ll be able to announce Bangladesh a poverty-free one.’

Hasina said the trend of development will get stalled if any party other than Awami League comes to power.

She asked the Jubo League leaders and activists to pursue the politics of principle as done by the Father of the Nation. ‘If anyone wants to succeed in politics he or she will have to have the mentality of sacrifice.’

The Prime Minister asked all to shun the mentality of ‘what to get’ but to nurture the attitude of ‘what can give to the country’.

Replying to a question of Khaleda Zia she asked at the court why Sheikh Hasina will not be grilled in Niko case, the Prime Minister said she had been quizzed for a long time ago when she was in jail during the caretaker regime.