United News of Bangladesh

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday alleged that the people of Bangladesh are being systematically denied their voting rights as happened during the dictatorship. Speaking at an event in Belkuchi, Sirajganj, where BNP distributed Eid relief among the destitute, Rizvi said, “Just as under past autocratic regimes, people today are being kept away from voting.” He recalled Bangladesh’s history of student-led movements for democracy, saying, “Student-people movements had overthrown dictators before through struggles to protect democracy.” Rizvi emphasised that political reforms should be a continuous process driven by an elected government in parliament. He alleged that the SP and OC of Comilla are now acting at the behest of an influential advisor to the interim government. Rizvi claimed that the leaders of BNP, Jubo Dal, and Chhatra Dal are being arrested and harassed ahead of Eid. “This government claims to be neutral, yet under its orders, BNP leaders and activists are being arrested and sent to prison,” the BNP leader said. Criticising former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he alleged that she fled the country out of fear during the Moinuddin-Fakhruddin administration and after 1975. “If you (Hasina) were truly courageous, you would have returned to the country immediately after your family was assassinated. Instead, you only returned when you were assured of safety,” he claimed. Interim govt advisers trying to divide anti-fascist movement: Rizvi Rizvi also alleged that Hasina had negotiated with the Moinuddin-Fakhruddin administration to remove BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from the country, but the plan failed. “Begum Zia’s leadership emerged from the grassroots, and she has never abandoned people or the country. Despite enduring false cases, imprisonment and repression by the Awami League government, she continues to fight for democracy,” he added. During the programme, Rizvi handed over donation cheques on behalf of BNP to two martyred families of Belkuchi. Under the direction of BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Eid relief was distributed among 5,000 destitute people. BNP’s Rajshahi Divisional Joint Organising Secretary Amirul Islam Khan Alim, former Belkuchi Upazila BNP President Jamal Bhuiyan, and former convener Nurul Islam Golam were among those present at the event.

Voicing deep concerns over the crude bomb explosions in the capital ahead of the party’s public rally on Wednesday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that the government is trying to unleash violence in the country to blame the opposition party. "They (govt) are trying again to push the entire country and the nation towards violence deliberately through provocations, he said. Speaking at a training programme for the female leaders and workers of BNP, Fakhrul said some media outlets reported about the crude bomb explosions in the city's Moghbazar area on Monday night. “It is a very deliberate and conspiratorial move by those who want to destroy the democracy in Bangladesh and to malign and blame the opposition parties.” Also read: One-point Movement: BNP sits with four allies He alleged that the government carried out the incident through its various agencies to give the impression that BNP was behind it. The BNP leader said their party has announced to hold a peaceful public rally in the capital on Wednesday as they did in the past. “But they (AL) have announced a so-called counter programme, 'peace rally' and 'peace march', pushing the country towards conflict." He warned that the government will have to shoulder all the responsibilities for taking the country towards violence with its provocative acts and programmes. Fakhrul called upon the government to back off from these terrible efforts to destabilise the country and work for creating a truly democratic state system in the country by accepting the opposition’s demand for holding an acceptable national election under a neutral administration. Also read: BNP seeks cops' cooperation in holding Dhaka rally Wednesday The BNP's 'Training Cell' arranged the day-long training workshop for women representatives of the party in collaboration with United States-based 'Democracy International (DI)' at party the chairperson's office in Gulshan. Fakhrul said the government has recently been saying that they do not obstruct the political parties from doing their political activities. “It’s a complete lie and fraudulence." “Awami League has a characteristic problem that they do not believe in democracy. They choose dictatorship and feudalism. They have a mindset that there‘s no one else in the country except them and they’re the only owners of the country,” he said. Also read: Govt has taken elections as weapon to establish fascism: Fakhrul The BNP leader said it is unfortunate for the nation that there is no democracy in the country while the democratic space for the political parties has been destroyed. He questioned whether there is any democratic party in the world except BNP, whose four million leaders and workers are facing false political cases and the chief of the party has been convicted on false charges and all the senior leaders of the party are facing false cases on fake charges. Citing a newspaper report, Fakhrul alleged that the government is trying to speed up the trial in the cases filed against him and their party chief Khaleda Zia. “They’ve instructed the police authorities and even the Law Ministry issued a letter to the judges to speed up the trial and dispose of the cases (against opposition leaders and activists)…the rulers are doing this as they don’t believe in democracy. They want to hang onto power and they don’t respect and count the other political parties.” Also read: Fakhrul sets up big expectations from next Wednesday's BNP rally Fakhrul said they have been carrying out a movement for the restoration of democracy in a democratic manner as the usurper government held two elections completely deceiving people by force. “Competitive elections are the key elements to uphold the democratic practice…but the rulers in this country talk about democracy, but they never practice it,” he said. The BNP leader said there are now many discussions about the frequent trips of delegations from different countries to Bangladesh. Also read: Govt hacking opposition leaders’ smartphones by using ‘Pegasus’ spyware, alleges Fakhrul “An American delegation is coming today (Tuesday) while a team of EU has already arrived here to know about human rights democracy and elections here. Why do they come to Bangladesh? Because there’s no democracy here and there’re no (credible) elections and elections are not held (fairly) here,” Fakhrul observed. He said a level-playing field having equal opportunity for all political parties is necessary for a good election, but it is not possible to ensure when the government tries to suppress opposition leaders and activists by arresting, jailing, killing, and implicating them in false cases and when it tries to prevent the opposition from function and holding their programmes by using the state machinery. Also read: Fakhrul hopeful about success of one-point movement  

Stating that the country is now under the complete grip of 'dictatorship', BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said a strong movement is necessary by forging a solid national unity to ‘restore’ democracy.

Thousands of anti-government protesters took part in the "Run Against Dictatorship" in the Thai capital Sunday in the biggest political demonstration in years.