Bangladesh: Winter and election


| by Swadesh Roy



( December 25, 2012, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Now the temperature of Bangladesh is slowing down every day.  The lowest   temperature is ten degree centigrade. So the weather of Bangladesh is very cold now. Some people of Bangladesh are enjoying cold, though winter connotes  tragedy in literature, but cold has also another beauty. There are many ways  to enjoy cold. After all   the season winter is very much colorful in Bangladesh. It is the time of harvesting  many grains and vegetables. Besides that, it is the time of fishing also. So kitchen markets are now full of various types of vegetables and fishes. It is also the time of enjoying duck meet. But having a large number of poor, Bangladesh has to face some problem in the winter. Five years ago, winter was also a time of death in Bangladesh. Then cold wind was also the killer of the poor people of Bangladesh. However, time is changing now in Bangladesh. People have cloths and foods now and villagers have shelter. So, cold is the time of harvesting crops and enjoying cultural programs now. There are some big events of Bangladesh which also happened in winter. One is the victory against Pakistan army, another is the sacrifice of  lives for mother language. This sacrifice is now admitted by UNESCO. The whole world observe the day now, which is the date of sacrifice for the cause of mother tongue. So  21st  February is now observe by all over the world, but in Bangladesh we observeit  from the very first dayt of the February to end of the February. People of the country observe it gorgeously and with many events. The victory day is 16th December, but people observe it through whole December with many programs.

AP File photo
So, in a cold weather Bangladesh is passing a very fine mood in a cold weather. Though two weeks ago the opposition of Bangladesh tried for a heavy road agitation, but they could not become successful . Now people are thinking that, the main opposition is going to election politics, they are trying to avoid the road agitation. Because they are thinking that, people do not like road agitation rather they like peaceful politics. So people of Bangladesh are thinking that the main opposition is going to the way of peaceful politics because main opposition party has declared some public meeting in the capital on 26th  December. Their main leader Khaleda Zia will be present in those programs. Political analysts are thinking it as a kind of election campaign; because three or four months ago Khaleda joined some rallies in all over the country and she addressed  the people there; but the focal point of her address was the failure of this government. Which was a kind of election campaign. 

On the other hand, Prime Minister of Bangladesh ,Sheikh Hasina  joined a rally on 20th  December in a city of south west part of the country. The mood of this rally was totally an election campaign mood because the whole city became a city of rally. In that rally, sheikh Hasina called the people to cast their votes in favor of her party in the next election. In her address to the people,she described in details  what her government has done for the people.She also mentioned her success in production of electricity and foods. Her previous government failed to produce electricity and food. She  reminded the people what was the position of food and electricity at the time of previous government. So it proved that, Hasina has started her election campaign, on the other hand khaleda is going to start. That is why, it can be said that, in the winter the farmers of the Bangladesh are harvesting their crops, and the politicians are trying to harvesting the crops of their politics from the field of the politics.

Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor, The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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