DHAKA, Sept 17, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman today called upon the party men to stay with the people and achieve their trust and love through their respective works.
 
"The country will go on an election roadmap following the path of reform activities. So, let us achieve the people's trust and love. Stay with the people and keep them with us," he said.
 
Tarique made the call while virtually addressing a public rally as the chief guest in front of BNP's Nayapaltan central office in the capital marking the International Day of Democracy.
 
Party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir chaired the rally.
The BNP acting chairman reiterated that changeover of power doesn't mean only handover of state power; rather it means qualitative change in the state and the country's politics.
 
"Every political leader and activist should keep in mind that qualitative change of a political party's leaders and activists is needed for qualitative change of politics," he said.
 
Tarique Rahman urged the party men to prepare themselves to lead a knowledge-based state and society without being confused in any provocation or persuasion.
 
Tens of thousands of leaders and workers joined the massive gathering. BNP shifted the date of the rally today from Sunday last due to inclement weather. 

Recalling the sacrifice of the martyrs to free the country from
autocratic rule, the BNP acting chairman said a huge number of people spontaneously joined the rally on the street.
 
The pro-Bangladeshi force may have to make more sacrifices to build a discrimination free Bangladesh as cherished by the students-people, he said.
 
"We have more paths to go. But this path won't be of terrorism, conflict, revenge or vengeance rather of patience, tolerance and understanding," the BNP acting chairman said.
 
Tarique Rahman said the government which is formed through a mass uprising in Bangladesh or any other country must be considered as the government of the people.
 
So, the people continued supporting the interim government and it will do so in the days to come as well, he hoped.
 
But at one stage, accountability of the interim government is also ensured through an elected parliament, he mentioned.
 
So, the foremost and prime target of all the reform activities of the government should be establishing an elected parliament and government through ensuring people's political empowerment, said the BNP acting chairman.
 
He urged the government to prioritize the reform programme with the aim of establishing an accountable government and parliament formed with elected representatives by people's votes.
 
Tarique Rahman said development, democracy or reforms cannot be sustainable and effective without the political empowerment of the people and without the engagement of people in reform activities.
 
People's political empowerment can be ensured through establishing people's voting rights by holding a free, fair and neutral election, he said.
 
Tarique Rahman called upon the government to take priority based measures for the reformation of the Election Commission and public administration as well as building law enforcement agencies as efficient forces.
 
Noting that the interim government has already taken some reform initiatives, the BNP acting chairman said if the interim government cannot fix priorities in view of agenda setting, the clique of conspirators can take various advantages to frustrate the success of the mass upsurge.
 
Evidences of such conspiracies have already become visible, he added.
 
Tarique Rahman said the manner of this mass uprising is different from any other previous mass-uprising as the people were confined into the shackle of subjugation losing all democratic and human rights during the illegal regime of the ousted autocrat.
 
The country was also on the verge of losing its independence and sovereignty, he added.
 
So, this mass uprising not only established the people's rights but also protected the country's independence and sovereignty, Tarique Rahman said.
 
The BNP acting chairman said the country and its people is now freed from the fears of enforced disappearance, killings, abduction and terrible "Aynaghar"  
 
Now the first task should be establishing the people's democratic, political and voting rights, he said.
 
Currently, around 12.5 crore voters are enlisted and around 2.5 crore new voters were included in the voter's list, he mentioned.
 
But this 2.5 crore voters of the new generation couldn't exercise their voting rights in any national election, Tarique Rahman said.
 
Neither they could elect their cherished public representative nor they get the scope to be public representative by contesting elections, he said.
 
Noting that half of the total population is women and a large section of society is youth, Tarique Rahman said it is not possible to build a discrimination free humane state keeping this large section of society beyond political engagement.
 
Unless the political and economic empowerment of people and people's participation in reform activities can be ensured, reform activities won't bring any effective results, he mentioned.
 

As part of state-politics, BNP acting chairman said the BNP had announced a
31-point agenda in 2023 in the presence of representatives of different
democratic political parties in Bangladesh, but his party always welcomes the
proposal of bringing all necessary changes and modifications in reform
agenda.

Terming the ongoing reform process in politics as a continuous process in all
sectors of the state, Tarique Rahman said public uprising or reform program
is a normal and acceptable practice to democratic politics, where everyone is
eligible to express his or her personal opinions, if necessary.

For this reason, he said the BNP has repeatedly emphasized on establishing
the right of the people's voting rights. "BNP believes that the people
direct-partnership with the state-politics and political establishment is
created to ensure a free, fair and credible general election," he added.

Evaluating the people's verdict in the politics, this BNP leader said, "Just
as criminal offenses are tried in judicial courts . . . political activities
or political behaviors are tried in people's courts."

Greeting the democracy-loving people of Bangladesh on the 'International
Democracy Day', Tarique Rahman, on behalf of BNP, said the brave students,
women, children, farmers and workers of all walks of life have shown the
world that the people of Bangladesh are willing to let their chests in front
of the gun-point against any dictatorship or misrule.

He said the country's democracy-loving people would forever remember those
with due respect, who made their supreme sacrifices, received serious
injuries by losing their hands, feet and eyes or were permanently crippled,
in the recent movement to establish democracy.

"The state must fulfill its responsibility towards every family of the
victims," Tarique hoped.

Acting BNP chairman said people's hard-earned democratic government and its
administration was supposed to be the government of the people, by the people
and for the people; but in last 15 years mafia rule and sole dictatorship had
been introduced in Bangladesh, turning the state into the government of the
mafia, by the mafia and for the mafia.

He said this mafia gang made the country fragile in all areas, turning the
country into a totally import-dependent, debt-dependent and sub-dependent
state as well.

"The vested quarter has bankrupted the country's banks. More than Taka about
17 lakh crore were siphoned off in the last decade and a half," the senior
BNP leader alleged.

The mafia cycle, he said, has not only made the country financially fragile,
it has also destroyed the socio-economic, cultural and political norms of the
country, where country's constitutional and statutory institutions were
rendered ineffective.

"Fascism itself was turned into a prison of justice across the country,"
Tarique Rahman mentioned, adding that due to the reckless corruption and
looting of the deposed dictatorship, the foreign debt of Bangladesh has
exceeded US $100 billion.

He said the child who is born in Bangladesh today has no reason with Taka
1.50 lakh debt each.

This vested circle has completely upset the country's law and order forces
while using them for their narrow party interests, he added.

Tarique Rahman said the fallen dictatorship was the main barrier to the
building a democratic-humanitarian Bangladesh. But the 15-year tyranny and
misrule were not removed fully till date as the beneficiaries of the circle
still being continued to challenge the incumbent interim government from
within the administration or under the guise of politics as well.

The interim government, he said, is working to establish a democratic
government accountable to the people aimed to establishing the people's
voting right in Bangladesh.

Tarique Rahman said some activities of this government may not be considered
as a success by everyone, but the failure of this government will be the
failure of all of us.

 "So this government cannot be allowed to fail in any way. The people will
not allow the interim government to fail despite various provocations from
the country and abroad. However, they also must be careful that this
government does not become the cause of its own failure," BNP acting chairman
stated.

Earlier, the meeting started after 2.30 pm with recitation from the Holy
Quran, where thousands of BNP leaders and workers thronged at city's
Nayapaltan area to joined the rally since morning.

BNP standing committee members and central leaders also addressed the rally.