The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said that the existence of the country’s people would be at stake if the current Awami League government was not removed from power.
‘We’ve launched a movement against the current unelected regime that has been in power by force destroying all our dreams. If we can’t remove them from power, then the existence of the people of Bangladesh will be endangered,’ he said.
The BNP secretary general made the remarks while addressing a views-exchange meeting with the party’s grassroots-level leaders in the Rangpur division at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan.
He said that the main purpose of calling the grassroots-level leaders for such a meeting was to invigorate them for ensuring the fall of the current regime by intensifying the movement.
The BNP leader said that they would take the opinions of the grassroots leaders about how people can take part more actively in the current movement and how a mass upsurge can take place to remove the monstrous government and establish a democratic system in the country.
‘You have to remember one thing, we got independence through waging a war and we got back democracy through a struggle under the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia. That leader is now in jail. Our 35 lakh people have been implicated in false cases. Our 17 leaders and activists lost their lives on the streets during the ongoing movement,’ he said.
Fakhrul said that the torture and repressive acts by the government had exceeded all limits.
‘It is our sacred responsibility to protect the country, to protect our people, to free our leader Begum Khaleda Zia, to bring our leader Tariq Rahman back to the country. We all must carry out the movement in unison. ‘We’ll defeat this monstrous government and establish a people’s government through a peaceful movement.’’
He said that their party had already placed a 10-point demand for ensuring a credible election under a non-party caretaker government and a 27-point proposal for reforming the state.
‘These issues have to be disseminated to the people to enhance their involvement with the movement.’
Fakhrul also urged the current and former elected public representatives to play a vital role in drumming up public support and involving people in the current movement.
He said that Awami League had destroyed the original spirit of the Liberation War and the democratic values.
Fakhrul said that the government had also destroyed the electoral system which is the getaway of democracy.
He also accused the government of using law enforcers and administration to suppress its opponents.
The BNP leader said that the prices of power, gas, and daily essentials had been going up unusually only because of the government’s corruption.
As part of the party acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s plan to hold a series of talks with the BNP’s grassroots leaders to revitalize the party’s rank and file, the party’s top leaders sat in a closed-door meeting with around BNP’s 250 former and current party public representatives of Rangpur division around 4:30pm.
Tarique joined the meeting through Skype from London and directly talked to the leaders and took their feedback on the ongoing movement.
The party will also hold similar meetings with the current and former public representatives of Khulna division on February 27 while Sylhet on February 28, Barishal on March 1, Dhaka on March 2, Faridpur and Cumilla on March 5, Chattogram on March 13, Chattogram and Rajshahi on March 14 and Rajshahi on February 15 and Mymensingh on March 16.
Party sources said that around 4,000 BNP leaders who were current for former union parishad chairmen had been invited to participate in the 10 views-exchange meetings.
