JHENAIDAH, Sept 28, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Deshnayok Tarique Rahman today said the interim government will have to specify the responsibilities bestowed upon them and outline a roadmap for fulfilling those duties properly.
 
 “We all know that there was no alternative to an interim government to fill the vacuum created suddenly in an autocracy-free Bangladesh. For this valid reason, we had supported them at the time and still support them. They must take the challenge of keeping our confidence in them unquestionable," he said.
 
Tarique Rahman was addressing as the chief guest virtually a massive public rally organized by BNP’s Jhenaidah District Unit at Payra Chattar in the district town.
 
Pointing at the interim government, he said while it may not be possible for them to implement all changes, it would also be unreasonable for them to shoulder responsibilities they cannot carry.   
 
BNP’s Jhenaidah district unit President Abdul Majid chaired the public rally while party’s Khulna Divisional acting Organizing Secretary Anindya Islam Amit, Assistant Organizing Secretary Jayanta Kumar Kundu, Information and Research Secretary Azizul Bari Helal, Barrister Ruhul Kabir Kajol, Jhenaidah District BNP General Secretary Jahiduzzaman Mona, its Vice-President Advocate Munshi Kamal Azad Pannu, Organizing Secretary Sajedur Rahman Pappu, Joint Secretary Asif Iqbal Makhon, District Jubo Dal General Secretary Ashraful Islam Pintu also spoke, among others.
 

The BNP acting chairman urged the interim government to maintain utmost caution in making every decision, statement, and even reaction.

Running a government is a highly sensitive and complex task as even a small deviation can raise a big question and carelessness can weaken the essential trust, he said.

Because of these reasons, Tarique Rahman said the nation’s unity which is at the core of its strength can be fractured.

Noting that any one of these can bring an awful disaster, he said, “We should keep in mind that the visible and invisible ghosts of the autocracy which was built up over a decade and a half, will not allow us to be freed from its venomous breath so easily.”

“We are often witnessing that those who are efficient, honest and sincere in running the government is becoming helpless in the wake of the ongoing conspiracies in the partisan administration left behind by the dictator,” he said.

The BNP acting chairman said if this situation cannot be overcome, the government will eventually see a series of small crises turn into major disasters and then, the path to effective solutions will be narrowed.

He said the BNP will continue to support the interim government so that they can be able to carry out the main responsibility they have undertaken.

 He said there is no alternative to an elected government for turning the country into a developed and prosperous one.

“A government elected by the people can only make development for them. If a government is elected by the people, it has to be responsible to the people. Rights of people’s government are established through polls. When the people’s voting rights will be established, the people will get back its full freedom,” he observed.

Tarique Rahman said the people are now able to breathe in a free and fearless environment.

To create this environment, the people had to face oppressions and tortures for long 17 years, he said.

During the period, Tarique Rahman said, only BNP’s 60 lakh leaders and activists were victims of repression and many others died.

Hundreds of people were killed and many others wounded in the movement of July-August last, he mentioned.

The huge number of people made sacrifices for the only reason to get back their political rights, he said.

The BNP acting chairman said the freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the country in 1971 and in the same way, many have sacrificed their lives in the 2024 movement.

“Now all the people of Bangladesh are expecting that their loving party BNP will form government with people’s mandate. We have struggled throughout 17 years for this,” he said.

Noting that though the dictator has been ousted, danger is not over, he alerted the party men to stay alert to tackle any kind of conspiracy in unison.

Only political emancipation will not be enough, the people will have to achieve economic emancipation, he said, adding that otherwise, it will not bring success.

There is no alternative to an elected government for ensuring foreign investments, gaining international community’s confidence, maintaining international relations and stability of the state, easing trade and commerce, ensuring public safety, continuity of development and providing citizens with daily services at the grassroots, he said.

The mass upsurge of students-people in July and August has brought a message of another independence and victory before the nation.
 
“If overenthusiastically we label this as the success of a specific group, probably we will fall into the trap of another distortion of history," he said.

“If we fail to honor the contribution of the people all strata including political parties, students-people, house makers, workers in the great movement to topple the autocrat or if we fail to properly evaluate the contribution of lakhs of political leaders and workers who became victims of enforced disappearance, killings, cases, attacks and torture, we will never get mercy from the history,” he said.  
 
Though the public rally was supposed to be held at Wajir Ali High School, it was shifted to Payra Chattar due to inclement weather.

Thousands of leaders and workers from different parts of the district and neighboring districts started gathering at the venue since the noon to join the public rally. At one stage, the public rally was turned into a human sea. It was the biggest public rally of the party in the district after long 17 years.