BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday stated that all BNP leaders involved in the anti-government movement would have been executed if Sheikh Hasina had not been ousted during last year’s mass uprising.
Speaking at the biannual conference of Meghna Upazila BNP in Cumilla, Rizvi accused the former prime minister of ruling with brutality and oppression for 17 years.
"A leader who could take the life of a four-year-old child to hold on to power would have had no hesitation in hanging us," he remarked during his speech.
Rizvi asserted that the Bangladeshi people were deprived of democracy, freedom of speech, and civil liberties under Hasina's rule, and that the BNP had fought relentlessly to restore these rights despite enduring persecution.
He credited student protesters for playing a pivotal role in Hasina’s downfall, saying, "We secured a free Bangladesh at the cost of their lives. If those brave students had not faced bullets from Hasina's forces, we would not have regained our freedom."
According to Rizvi, the 5 August uprising was the turning point that saved BNP leaders from a grim fate.
Addressing party activists, Rizvi reaffirmed the BNP’s commitment to democracy, urging them to maintain unity under the leadership of Tarique Rahman to build a prosperous Bangladesh.
"BNP is a democratic party, a party of patriotic citizens. We must uphold democratic practices within our organization," he emphasized.
The conference gathered party leaders, activists, and supporters, as BNP continues its push for political reform and national stability following the change in government.
