BNP Acting Chairman Demands Caretaker Govt. for Election
Mohammad Zainal Abedin:
Tarique Rahman, the Acting Chairman of BNP demanded that the forthcoming national election in Bangladesh must be held under a non-party caretaker government, otherwise the stalemate will be finalized in the street. None will be allowed to repeat the voting rights of the people what the power-grabbers did in 2014 and 2018.
Tarique Rahman conveyed this warning to the government, while addressing a discussion meeting as Chief Guest held at the National Press Club of Dhaka on October 10, 2021. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressed it as Chief Speaker.
Organized by ‘Jehad Smiti Parishad’, Aman Ullah Aman, the ex-VP of DUCSU, chaired and BNP Organizing Secretary Fazlul Haque Milon conducted the discussion meeting.
It was held to commemorate the 32nd martyred anniversary of Shahid Jehad, who sacrificed his life during the anti-autocracy movement of ’90.
Among others, Senior Vice-President Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Fazlul Haque Milon Organizing Secretary of BN, Shamsuzzuman Dudu, Dr. Assaduzzuman Ripon, Habibur Rahman Habib, Khairul Kobir Khokon, ex-MP Jahir Uddin Shopon, Nazim Uddin Alam, Helen Jayrin Khan, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, elder brother of Shahid Jihad AKM Bashir, etc. Tarique Rahman, the chief guest of the visual event, directly participated in it from London.
Tarique Rahman said whatever the power-grabbers did in 2014 and 2018, would not be allowed anymore to repeat snatching away the voting rights of the people.
BNP Acting Chief all urged saying, “Combining the suggestions and instructions of the veterans, participation of the organizers of the nineties and the strength and courage of the present generation we will have to regain Bangladesh, our lost land, through mass uprising, which is now out of our hands.” “Rights of the people are to be restored,” he added,
Urging the leaders and workers, supporters and well-wishers of pro-Bangladesh and pro-democracy forces, he said, “We have the experience of success of the unified anti-autocratic movement.”
“So, to establish the rights of you, my, our and all citizens let us be united again,” Tarique urged. “Our movement is aimed to save people, and to ‘Take Back Bangladesh,” he declared.
“Any movement to reach its destination, there is no other alternative, but unified and active participation of the student and young generation,” Tarique Rahman opined and added, “It also needs a united initiative at the national level.”
In the same way, the people and the democratic student and youth organizations at the national level who are against the mafia government should essentially maintain strong liaison among them, he suggested.
Pointing to the current situation of the country, Tarique Rahman said, “It is not the crisis of BNP alone, rather the crisis of all the pro-democratic citizens, except some neo-razakars (collaborators), the possessors of logi-boitha. (boat-hook and oar) “Now is safe in Bangladesh,” he shockingly said.
Pointing to Sheikh Hasina, BNP Acting Chairman alleged, due to the greed for power of an individual, the sovereignty of the country now is under threat. The pro-democracy people not only lost their political and humanitarian rights, their religious-social values were also severely eroded.
Explaining the current situation Tarique Rahman questioned, whether the students and young generation will allow the cliques of the looters and killers to frustrate the hard-earned independent Bangladesh, achieved through bloody war, or vehemently face them like that of ’52, ’69, ’71, and ’75 to save independence and democracy? “Students and young generations are to come forward like that of ’90 to protect the dignity of ‘Ma’ (mother) and motherland”, Tarique Rahman suggested. He further added, “The streets and highways are to be occupied, if needed.”
Tarique Rahman, as if, mourned saying, “Presently Mother, Motherland and Bangladesh are in critical condition.” “The great challenge before the young generation is to protect the independence and status of Bangladesh, as the young generation of today means tomorrow’s Bangladesh,” he remarked.
To establish people’s rights Tarique Rahman urged all the leaders, workers, and well-wishers of BNP around the country, to take mental preparation for the highest sacrifice like of Elius Ali-Jihad-Abrar Fahad to lead the movement along with the people to establish their rights.
“If all are united, by the grace of Almighty, the movement to protect independence and democracy will surely be successful,” BNP Acting Chairman hoped and added, “BNP will form government.”
The Acting Chairman of BNP said, ’71 presented us as an independent country, while the revolution of 7th November ’75 solidified and strengthened the independence and sovereignty of the country. “And the anti-autocrat movement of ’90 reinstated the nation on the right path, the path of light instead of darkness and freed it from autocrat,” he opined.
“So, taking inspiration from those youths and students of ’52, ’69, ’71 and ’90, the students and young forces of today facing the current challenge must rescue Bangladesh from the claws of the local and foreign mafia cliques,” Tarique Rahman hopes.
Turique Rahman alleged, democracy in Bangladesh is exiled, human rights are perished into dust. Murder, hijack, kidnap, corruption, plunder, money laundering, falsity, propaganda, etc., emerged as the characteristics of Bangladesh. The socio-religious value of the country totally eroded, he opined.
Tarique Rahman said, under the camouflage of the Grand Alliance, Awami League is now misappropriating money through constructing Model Mosques, homes for the poor, and even controlling Covid19 pandemic. “These types of corruptions do not hurt their conscience, this evil clique captured state power through corruption,” he remarked. He said, corruption is their principle, because an evil power is now clinging to power.
Uncovering the technique of the ruling clique Tarique Rahman said, “Though they threaten the people to leave their dead body on the other side of the border and using the RAB or police to silence them to remain in power this clique is regarded as the ‘government of the mafia, by the mafia and for the mafia.” He alleged, this mafia gang constantly insults the opposition parties, their opinions, independence, humane / human dignity.
Condemning the ruling cliques, Tarique Rahman alleged, they behave with the Bangladeshi patriotic people more heinous than that of Pakistani forces of 1971,
Uncovering the violation of human rights and atrocities, Tarique Rahman said, after failing to detain a leader of Dhaka City Chatra Dal, the Awami paid force lifted his aged father at night from a village of Magura district.
Referring to the intention of Shahid Najiruddin Jehad, a crusader of ’90 uprising, Tarique Rahman said, “He sacrificed his life with a hope of ending autocracy to get a democratic Bangladesh.”
Tarique Rahman quoting Jihad as saying, “I came to oust the military autocratic government, I am going to die, I failed to see his downfall, my death will be successful only when the autocratic government will fall down through movement.” “That dream of Jihad was successful,” he opined.
Acting Chairman of BNP said, though democracy returned to Bangladesh after the fall of dictatorial regime, it was an irony of the people that the ‘national betrayer’ did not allow it to take a permanent shape. “Now Bangladesh is captive under that defeated evil power of 7th November Revolution of 1975.
Police killed Shahid Jihad on October 10, 1990. After 32 years of his death, democracy is a matter of far cry, none can even talk about the independence and dignity of the country, Tarique Rahman alleged.
He recalled, on October 6, 2019, the killers of the ruling party student front killed BUET student Abrar Fahad for talking in favor of the status and dignity of the country. None of those killers were aliens. They were the neo-razakars of the logi-boietha camp.
Tarique Rahman said, the country was liberated to establish some basic principles, such as, democracy, voting rights, etc., but those are not only available in the country, but also its independence is under threat.
“Najir Uddin Jayhad was a martyred to restore democracy, while Abrar Fahad was the first martyr of protecting the independence of Bangladesh,” Tarique Rahman accurately judged, and expressing his deep shock saying, “Murder of Abrar Fahad proves that Bangladesh has gone out of our hand.”
The Acting Chairman of BNP said, the aim of killing democracy, abducting voting rights, killing Felani on the border, killing Abrar of BUET, concealing-killing ex-MP Elius Ali or Commissioner Chowdhury Alam, above all, for every murder, abduction and evil deeds are to make make Bangladesh to vassal state.
He said, the pro-democratic forces of Bangladesh, nationalist forces of Bangladesh repeatedly frustrated all the anti-state conspiracies. Shahid Ziaur Rahman, the announcer of independence, on November 7, 1975, along with the Army and the people resisted the intrigue of reducing Bangladesh to a shady State. “Due to the conspiracy of the same defeated evil power of 7th November the proclaimer of independence was killed,” Tarique Rahman asserted.
He said, the pro-democracy forces and the forces of Bangladeshi nationalism, repeatedly frustrated all the conspiracies against Bangladesh. On November 7, 1975, Bangladesh Army along with the common people Shahid Zia thwarted the design of reducing Bangladesh to a satellite state. The declarer of independence had to sacrifice due to the conspiracy of the same defeated forces of November 7, 1975.
The Acting Chairman of BNP said, imprisonment of Begum Khaleda Zia the moto/ symbol of nationalist forces, the uncompromising leader of anti-dictatorial movement, and the mother of democracy is the victim of revenge of successive conspiracy against the nationalist forces.
He said, the reason is that to the people of Bangladesh, Shahid Zia means “The country of Liberation War’. Shahid Zia means anarchy-free modern Bangladesh. Khaleda Zia means democratic Bangladesh. Khaleda Zia means, a corruption free humanitarian Bangladesh. This is the reason why the evil-power is scared/ apprehensive/ terrified of Begum Zia. So, to conceal their self-stigmatized past and present, Awami League community constantly and regularly propagate falsity against Deshnetree Begum Khaleda Zia.
Tarique Rahman said, those who now clinged to power, each morning appears before as panic of losing power. Conversely, each of the BNP leader-worker-supporter-well-wishers, get-up in each morning with the possibility of having a safe, decent and golden morning.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the main/ chief speaker of the memorial meeting urged to form another political alliance to resurrect the mass uprising like that of ’90.
“Let us start now, we cannot delay anymore. Let us all be united, build national unity, unity of the students, multiparty unity,” Mirza Fakhrul’s clarion call to all.
Highlighting the commendable role of the students in various movements of the past Mirza opined, every time these youths, these students brought about change. “Today you are to face the situation, you are to turn around.”
“Today the future is looking at you. The whole nation and we are also looking at our leader Tarique Rahman, in the same way, to salvage Bangladesh,” Mirza opined and added, “In the same way the entire nation is looking at you to wage an uncompromising movement. You are to be awakened, to defeat the diabolical and gigantesque Sheikh Hasina government.”
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the Senior Joint Secretary of BNP recollecting the past of Tarique Rahman said, he developed himself facing adverse situation not only while he was the student ofDhaka University, but also during the war of liberation, as he was also detained with his mother during the war of liberation.
Despite integrated propaganda, the deep-night government failed to break down his moral courage, rather it was proved Tarique Rahman is a people’s leader. He is the friend of grassroots level people. He is the leader of the country. Tarique’s name is inevitable in the politics of Bangladesh, Rizvi opined.
Another leader of the anti-Ershad movement of the ’90, former MP Zahir Uddin Shopon said, the people of Bangladesh were acquainted with the family of Tarique through our independence and war of liberation. Tarique Rahman, son of the announcer of our independence, that very small child during our war of liberation, who was also detained with his mother begum zia, proceeded forward through a long zigzag path of political ups and downs that helped him to become the Acting Chairman of BNP.
Shopon said Tarique Rahman had to face adverse situations when he was a student of the International Department of Dhaka University. His student life in Dhaka University was severely disturbed, as he became a target of Ershad.
In his presidential speech Aman Ullah Aman remembering the uncompromising mass leader Begum Khaleda Zia said, dictator Ershad detained her more than once. He deterred her free movement.
Disclosing the clandestine role of Tarique Rahman, Aman said “Being a student of Dhaka University, he used to carry instructions from Madam in small slip/ chit with concrete guidelines, which were handed over them to the concerned student leaders that helped us how to strengthen movement to overthrow Ershad. “He, virtually, acted as a bridge between Begum Zia and the student leaders of Dhaka University,” the then DUCSU VP informed. “Getting hints about the activity of Tarique Rahman, Ershad’s agents even physically attacked him,” Aman remembered. *
* Editor, Runner News, NY
