“It’s a hybrid government. They’ve used the election to stay in power. They controlled all the institutions, including the police, army, administration and courts, and claimed that they’re elected,” he said.

Speaking at a virtual discussion, the BNP leader also alleged that the ruling Awami League has introduced 'dictatorship' in the country by occupying the state institutions. “Bangladesh has now truly become an undemocratic, fascist and dictatorial state.”

Barrister Abdus Salam Talukder Smriti Sangsad arranged the programme marking the 21st death anniversary of ex-BNP secretary general Barrister Abdus Salam Talukder.

Fakhrul said 1/11 political changeover in 2007 was part of a local and international plot to marginalise BNP and its chairperson Khaleda Zia. “The plot was there in all the elections after 1/11 to eliminate BNP and remove Khaleda Zia from politics, and they (conspirators) succeeded.”

He said their party leaders and activists are going through serious repression and harassment as 35 lakh of them have been implicated in over a lakh case. “Our several thousand leaders and activists have been killed and made disappeared.”

The BNP leader said people have been rampantly subjected to enforced disappearance in the country while their all the rights have been snatched. “Every person, especially the young generation, wants to get rid of this situation.”

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He said people need to be awakened and BNP must unit all political forces to defeat the current regime and establish a pro-people government. “We must succeed and we’ll overcome with united efforts.”

BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Nazrul Islam Khan also spoke at the programme.

They recalled Salam Talukder’s contributions to making the anti-Ershad movement a success and taking BNP to power in 1991 as secretary general of the party.