Accusing the government of turning Bangladesh into a crematorium, BNP leaders on Wednesday said that removing the ruling Awami League from power was the only option to restore democracy in the country.

“We fought the War of Liberation for democracy. After 50 years of independence, we are fighting again for its restoration. It’s a big and tough struggle, and we must win it,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a massive anti-government rally in Chattogram.

 “We have no other alternative but to win this battle. Either we’ll turn victorious, or we’ll die in this fight,” he told his supporters on Polo Ground in the city.

He warned that if their current movement fails, democracy will vanish from the country and the nation’s existence will be at stake.

 “We want to get democracy and people’s rights back,” he said.

 As part of the party’s planned divisional programmes, Chattogram city unit BNP organised the rally in the port city where tens of thousands of their activists and leaders joined.

 Wednesday’s programme was the first divisional rally to denounce the ongoing power crisis, unusual price hikes of daily essentials and killing of five opposition activists in police firing in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore during recent anti-government protests. 

 The BNP on September 27 announced to hold public rallies in all divisional cities. The party will conclude the divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.

 On Wednesday, Mirza Fakhrul also accused the government of destroying the country’s economy and all the state institutions by indulging in corruption and plundering over the last 15 years.

 This monstrous regime of Awami League had turned Bangladesh into a crematorium. “They looted public money and laundered it abroad,” he said.

 Referring to the US sanctions on RAB, the BNP Secretary General said the sanctions should be imposed now on the government instead of the elite force. “Because the incidents of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing have been carried out at the behest of the government.”

 Fakhrul also said the United Nations and different international human rights agencies say that enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings take place in Bangladesh as the judiciary cannot function independently.

About the Election Commission's recent meeting with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police, Fakhrul said police and bureaucrats such as DCs are least bothered about what the Election Commission says, as they only follow the instructions of the Prime Minister.

 "So, a credible election is not possible without a neutral government,” he said..

 Noting that the current government is an unelected one, he said that it has no mandate to rule the country. “The people of the country didn’t accept this regime.”

The BNP leader said people are going through serious ordeals as the prices of daily commodities have gone up abnormally

Read:BNP rally going on amid tight security in Chattogram

Strongly opposing the government’s move to further raise power tariffs, he said the only motive behind such a move is to loot public money. “They’re looting money to make second homes in Canada and Malaysia and other countries.”

 Fakhrul also criticised the Prime Minister strongly for her warning that next year could see a famine. “You’ve said famine is likely to hit the country, then why are you there in the office? Quit power safely, otherwise, you won’t find any route to flee.”

Fakhrul said the Awami League government must step down by handing over power to a non-partisan government to create a path for the next election to be conducted by a new election commission.

He also demanded the withdrawal of all false cases against BNP leaders and activists, including its Chairperson Khaleda Zia. “Our leader Khaleda Zia must be freed.”

 The BNP leader thanked their party leaders and activists for turning the rally into a grand rally, braving all obstacles.

 “We’ll spread this movement everywhere and to remove this regime. We’ll resolve the political crisis on the streets,” he said.

BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdury said that their party leaders and activists were attacked and prevented in different areas, including in Mirsarai and Sitakunda, from joining the rally.

He said their many leaders and activists were injured as they were attacked, and their vehicles were damaged by law enforcing agencies and ruling party ‘cadres’ on their way to the rally.

 Chowdhury said BNP activists had been arrested by police while their homes were raided overnight on Tuesday.

He said a small section of the members of the police, not the entire police force, is involved in such activities to make the government happy.

 Read:Thousands are ready to die to oust AL government & restore democracy: Fakhrul

Despite attacks and various repressive measures, the BNP leader said the government could not prevent the mass wave towards the rally.

BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, vice chairman Mohammad Shahjahan, Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, joint secretary general Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Publicity Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, among others, addressed the rally with Chattogram city unit BNP president Dr Shahdat Hossain in the chair.