Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. File Photo

DHAKA, Jan 24, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has called upon the countrymen to remain steadfast in their determination to restore democracy, freedom of speech, and voting rights dealing with conspiracies. 

“The anti-democratic and alienated illegal Awami League government was forced to flee the country on August 5 last year in the face of students-people movement. Now, the people must be determined to bring back democracy, freedom of speech and restore voting rights by facing each conspiracy”, he said in a Facebook post this evening. 

Tarique Rahman said, “On January 25, 1975, the then Awami League government, in order to permanently maintain its power, killed the multi-party democracy by strangling it and established a one-party system known as "BAKSAL" (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League) instead of multi-party democracy”.

In order to establish this system, they ignored the opposition's opinions in the National Parliament and passed the inhumane medieval Fourth Amendment Act to the constitution by force, he said, adding, “At that time, they banned all the media outlets and issued a decree to keep their loyal four newspapers open”.

Tarique added, “They (Awami League) spoiled the freedom and democracy, achieved through a long struggle of the countrymen and spread a terrible anarchy in the society plunging the country into an era of severe chaos”.

In the illusory dream of prolonging the one-party barbaric rule, Tarique Rahman said, “They (Awami League) did not hesitate to jeopardize not only democracy but also the national unity, solidarity and sovereignty of the country”.

“They never followed civilized customs and principles in their behavior towards the opposition. At that time, prison was the only destination of the opposition”, he added.