Many ghosts of the country's fascism now hiding in the administration, conspiring to thwart the victory achieved by the recent student-led mass uprising, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Tuesday (September 17).
"In return for the sacrifice of the students, we got an opportunity to establish democracy. Let's not throw it away," he said while addressing a rally at Nayapaltan in the capital.
The rally was organised in observance of the International Democracy Day.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman addressed the rally virtually as the chief guest.
Mirza Fakhrul said not only in 1952 or 1971, people of Bangladesh always fought for establishing their democratic rights. Democracy and BNP complement each other. Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia gave leadership to establish democracy in Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman is now giving that leadership.
Terming the August 5 victory as the self sacrifices of students and people, the BNP leader said the victory came to establish democracy in the country. It should not be neglected in any way.
He also urged the party workers to remain cautious in this regard.
Mirza Fakhrul also called upon the interim government to provide compensation to all the injured, disabled and martyred families.
At the rally, BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas said his party is eager for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to return to the country so that she can be tried for the 17 years of oppression inflicted on the partymen.
"She [Hasina] claims she will swiftly return to the country. We also want her to come back, so we can hold her accountable for 17 years of arrests and persecution of our partymen," he said while addressing the rally.
Referring to the interim government, Abbas stated, "We have repeatedly said we will give the government a reasonable timeframe to hold election, but that does not mean we will give them an indefinite period of time."
Speaking at the rally, BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said, "…The quota reform movement secured students' rights, but the people's right to vote has still not been established.
"Therefore, we urged the government to transfer power to the people's government through an immediate election," he added.
BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan stated, "The students and the public have given the interim government the authority to reform the country and restore it from autocracy.
"However, it's important to remember that the people have been struggling for democracy for the past 17 years," he added.
The party's Joint Secretary General Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel criticised former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for ignoring the party's repeated calls to establish a caretaker government.
"Hasina chose to ignore our calls and listened to foreign powers instead. If she had listened to us, she wouldn't have had to flee like this," he said.
The BNP leader mocked the idea that Sheikh Hasina might quickly return to Bangladesh, saying, "…Let her come!... And where is Obaidul Quader? He said he wouldn't flee."
Sohel also criticised the Awami League leadership, accusing them of abandoning their partymen. "The leader has fled, leaving behind all his people. It's a classic case of 'save oneself'."
He further accused Hasina of being a murderer, claiming she was responsible for the killing many, including children, citing the 2013 Shapla Chattar incident and the 2009 BDR mutiny, where 57 military officers were killed.
He referred to her as a "serial killer" and warned those who harbour her, saying, "Listen carefully, if Dhaka is not at peace, neither will Delhi be."
Hundreds of thousands of BNP leaders and workers thronged Nayapaltan to commemorate "victims of political repression" and in observance of International Democracy Day.
The rally began at 2:30pm.
However, people started to gather in the area with processions from different wards of the capital at about 12:30pm.
BNP and its associate bodies could also be seen in different parts of the capital including Nayapaltan, Kakrail, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Bijoy Nagar, Fakirapool, and Arambagh areas, resulting in some gridlock.
Traffic has come to a standstill on both sides of Nayapaltan. Party leaders and workers were seen carrying the party flag and national flag, banners, festoons in their hands.
Not only in Dhaka, people also held rallies in different cities in the country since the morning.
Party Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman addressed the rally virtually as the chief guest. BNP Standing Committee members and senior leaders also spoke at the rally presided over by the party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
