Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the blood debt of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and millions of martyrs has to be repaid through working for the development of the country and the welfare of its people.

‘The Father of the Nation and millions of martyrs have made us indebted through their blood, we’ve to repay the debt...the Father of the Nation sacrificed his blood for the welfare of the people of this country, we’ve to repay the blood debt,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina, the eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said this while inaugurating a blood donation programme organised by Public Administration Ministry at Bangladesh Secretariat.

She said the people who never wanted the liberation of the country, who collaborated with the occupation forces and the international power that opposed Bangladesh’s liberation were behind the 15 August massacre.

‘Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was not assassinated just for power...the killing was carried out to destroy the spirit and ideology of our Liberation War,’ Sheikh Hasina said.

The Prime Minister also said that the killing on August 15 blocked all the paths of the country towards progress.

‘The country’s ideology was diverted, its constitution was put under the knife of martial law ordinances. All the ideologies were destroyed one by one,’ she said.

The prime minister said it is now the prime task of her to bring smile to the faces of the poor people for whom Sheikh Mujib and his wife had sacrificed their lives along with other members of the family.

‘This is my only aim to bring smile to the faces of people, develop the country as a poverty and hunger-free one.’

Hasina said she had been working hard defying all the odds and obstacles to materialise the dream of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

‘This is my target to put the country in such a place where people will march forward keeping their heads high without depending on anyone,’ she said.

Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim, Public Administration Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the programme.