BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Monday urged all to work together to build Bangladesh as a truly democratic country where people’s voting, fundamental, human and economic rights are fully ensured.
“Let us all work together to build Bangladesh into a genuinely democratic country where people’s fundamental rights and their right to vote are guaranteed and where human rights are established,” he said.
Speaking as the chief guest at the launch of a documentary photo album, the BNP leader also said the economic rights of millions of poor citizens must be ensured in the future Bangladesh.
Dr Moyeen, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, stressed the need to promote the country’s cultural development, saying, “Without education, culture, and social values, politics cannot truly exist in any country.”
Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas), the cultural wing of BNP, organised the programme at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office to launch the photo album titled “Roktakto 36 July Gonobhiplaban O Jasas” (Bloodstained July-36 Uprising and Jasas).
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Dr Moyeen said the July-36 mass uprising was not a sudden event but the result of a long struggle spanning 17 years and the sacrifices of lakhs of Bangladeshis. “The explosion of public anger on August 5 was the outcome of that prolonged struggle.”
For 17 long years, he said the people of Bangladesh endured deprivation, denial of rights, enforced disappearances, killings, false cases, and attacks. “BNP leaders and activists could not even stay in their homes during that time.”
The BNP leader said such prolonged repression and injustice created an explosive political situation in the country. “In that context, the anti-discrimination student movement began in July 2024. “It acted like a matchstick that ignited a spark, leading to the flames of a nationwide uprising. The autocratic Awami League government was eventually forced to flee the country in disgrace like a coward.”
This is the true history of the July-36 uprising,” he said, expressing deep gratitude to all who contributed to the movement.
Stating that BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman led this movement, Dr Moyeen observed that it would not be a proper analysis to credit only the students for its success.
He said the BNP, along with around 43 other political parties, had fought for years against deprivation and injustice. “Those who fought for democracy endured attacks, false and fabricated cases, and severe repression,” he said.
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“For more than a decade, our Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman guided and led this movement from nearly 10,000 kilometres away, and under his leadership we participated in this democratic struggle,” the BNP leader added.
He said it is true that students were at the forefront, but it was not solely their movement. “In football, eleven players play the game, but only one may score a goal — that doesn’t mean the others didn’t play. Similarly, those who try to credit only the students for the success of this movement may not be making a complete analysis,” he said.
Dr Moyeen praised Jasas for its contributions to the nationalist movement and expressed confidence that the organisation would become even stronger in the coming days.