SATKHIRA, Sept 8, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman today vowed to continue their movement to restore democracy in the country until people's rights are established.

"Movement for restoring democracy is going on and it will continue until people's rights are established," he said while addressing virtually as the chief guest a mass reception ceremony joined by tens of thousands of people at Kalaroa upazila in the district.

BNP's Kalaroa upazila and municipality units organized the programme at Kalaroa High School ground in the district.

Local BNP leaders accorded the reception to BNP's Publication Affairs Secretary Habibul Islam Habib, who was sentenced to 70 years in prison in a case filed over the attack Sheikh Hasina's convoy, for coming to his own area Kalaroa after getting bail in the case following his serving jail for four years.

Tarique Rahman said their struggle for restoring democracy has not ended as many works are still to be done.

"We will have to remain more alert. Some political parties have stepped into the trap created by known enemies along with neighboring country," he said.

The BNP acting chairman said urged the party men to remain alert about the plotters and tackle them with their own wisdom.

Though the autocracy has fallen, conspiracies are going on, he said adding that with the cooperation of all nationalist forces, people's rights and democracy will be established breaking all venomous teeth of plotters.

Tarique Rahman said the politics of development and welfare showed by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will be BNP's political inspiration.

He said BNP's leaders and workers were tortured severely by autocrat Sheikh Hasina and her Awami terrorists throughout the last 17 years.
They (AL) launched enforced disappearances, killings, tortures, seizing of land and houses and damaging of businesses in the last one and half era, Tarique Rahman said the people saw how disgracefully Sheikh Hasina and her cohorts had to flee.

Addressing the people of Satkhira, the BNP Acting Chairman said, "During the season of mango, you are the first to reach 'khirshapati' and 'langra' varieties of mangos to the people of the country. Though I stay 6,000-km distant from you, I can see you always in my heart."

"Likewise other people of the country, you had to face unbearable sufferings and pains given by dictator Hasina in the past 17 years. You had to face imprisonment, repression and suppression. You couldn't talk openly and couldn't do business properly. Due to torment of Awami extortionists, there is no big industry or employment opportunity here," he said.

Tarique Rahman said during the season, mangoes are grown first in Satkhira but there is no storage or factory of mango juice or pickles here. However, the people always had to listen about developments, he said.

"I know you make beautiful clay tiles for roof with your own labour and merits. The tiles (locally called tully) are exported to European countries including Italy," he said, adding that but the previous government took no initiative to build big factories for boosting the industry.

"If our mothers and sisters, who prepare beautiful clay tiles, get opportunities, they can build various cottage industries further," he said.

Tarique Rahman said those who have enclosures of shrimp or fishes in Satkhira always stay in tension of natural calamity that the embankments which were made 70 years ago can get broken anytime in rainfall or flood.

Huge money has been looted for repairing embankments but no development took place, he said.

As a result, farmers suffer losses due to soil salinity which damage crops as well as washing away of fishes in flood, he said.

Tarique Rahman said apart from tourism, huge potentials of the Sundarbans cannot be utilized properly due to lack of proper planning.

He expressed his future plans and wishes for making development in every area in planned way considering economic potentials and problems of each area.

BNP's Central Publication Affairs Secretary and former lawmaker Habibul Islam Habib, who got released from jail recently, chaired the programme while Central Information Affairs Secretary Azizul Bari Helal, Assistant Organizing Secretary Abdul Khalek (Rangpur Division), Assistant Organizing Secretary Jayanta Kumar Kundu (Khulna Division), BNP Chairperson's Press Wing Officer Shamsuddin Didar, National Executive Committee Member Dr Shahidul Alam, former lawmaker Kazi Alauddin, Advocate Shahanara Akhtar Bakul, Satkhira District BNP Joint Convener Tarikul Hasan and Aynul Islam Nanta also spoke, among others.