Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, turned the country into “hell” every time it came to power, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator and Dhaka South City BNP Convener Abdus Salam said on Thursday.
He said instead of building the country in the spirit of the War of Liberation after independence, the Awami League had destroyed democracy, deprived people of their fundamental rights and failed to govern the country.
Salam made the remarks while addressing a rally at the Jatiya Press Club organised by the Jatiyatabadi Matyajibi Dal marking National Revolution and Solidarity Day.
He said people had expected the country to move forward after the War of Liberation by upholding its ideals. “However, the then Awami League government took a different path, destroying democracy and taking away people's basic rights.”
People had even died of starvation during the famine, while unidentified bodies were found lying on the streets of Dhaka, with nobody to bury them, the administrator said.
He said the BNP had stood beside people during every disaster and difficult period in the country, which was why people had also stood by the party. “People believe that only the BNP can protect the country's democracy and independence,” he said.
Salam said resolving such problems would take time, but programmes aimed at destabilising the country were creating opportunities for fascism to return.
Addressing the Awami League, he said burning vehicles and exploding crude bombs would bring no benefit. “The people of Bangladesh have never supported any underground political party or terrorism,” he said.
The BNP leader said despite facing 17 years of oppression, persecution, enforced disappearances and killings, the BNP had never gone underground.
Instead, the party had continued its movement by staying beside the people and building public opinion, ultimately bringing an end to authoritarian rule through a mass uprising, he said.
BNP Volunteer Affairs Secretary Mir Sarfat Ali Sapu also spoke at the programme.