Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said Awami League and democracy can never go together as the party has historically failed to uphold democratic values.

“Awami League and democracy can never go together. They did not go together in the past, not after the party’s birth, and certainly not during the recent fascist period. It is a DNA problem, and it will not change,” he said.

He made the remarks at a discussion marking the Black Day of Newspapers at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital. Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) arranged the event.

“BNP is not a revolutionary party. It is a liberal democratic party that accommodates everyone,” he said.

The BNP leader also expressed concern about what he described as attempts by various groups to destabilise society through misinformation, deterioration of law and order and online propaganda.

“There is a conscious effort to push society in a different direction through misinformation and propaganda on social media. We must collectively resist and defeat these efforts,” he said.

He said efforts should be made to reopen media outlets that have ceased operations and added that the current government is working to ensure freedom of the press.

Fakhrul said those who fought and sacrificed for democracy and media freedom have often failed to remain united.

“Unfortunately, those of us who have struggled and sacrificed for democracy and freedom of the press have not always been able to remain united,” he said.

However, he criticised some media owners and organisations for what he termed unjust treatment of journalists.

He said many journalists continue to face harassment and professional insecurity.

“There are still many journalist brothers who remain unemployed. We have not yet been able to create sufficient employment opportunities for them,” he said.

He suggested creating new media platforms through collective efforts to generate employment opportunities for journalists.

Fakhrul said the current government came to power after a prolonged struggle and  Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has repeatedly stressed the importance of ensuring media freedom.

He said that BNP remains one of the safest political platforms for journalists and professionals because it tolerates opposing views, Fakhrul said. “BNP is a political party that accepts opposing views and that is what we have always practised,” he said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan spoke as a special guest at the event.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, the Jatiya Press Club and the Dhaka Union of Journalists were also present.