Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday expressed hope that the forthcoming national election, pledged by the interim government for mid-February, would lead to the formation of a ‘truly representative government’.
He said that the government to be formed through the polls would honour the 2024 uprising martyrs, uphold their legacy and take concrete steps towards establishing a democratic state in Bangladesh.
Fakhrul made the remarks while inaugurating a tree plantation programme organised by the Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Krishak Dal, the farmer front of the BNP, and Amra BNP Poribar (We BNP Family) at Zia Udyan at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital Dhaka, as part of a month-long series of events marking the anniversary of the July mass uprising.
The July-August mass uprising ousted the authoritarian Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.
Fakhrul said that politics was not an easy path and naturally involved challenges, but there was no reason to be disheartened.
The BNP secretary general said that they believed in the coexistence of differing opinions and multiple paths — some would believe in democracy, others in socialism, and some in a welfare state — and that together, these diverse ideologies would form a ‘rainbow state’.
He said that their sole objective was to build a truly liberal democratic state, one that would reflect a new Bangladesh rooted in change.
Fakhrul said that they did not want corruption, bribery, killings, or repression, and they envisioned a country where people could live freely, safely, and with dignity in a comfortable environment.
Citing the atrocities committed by the Awami League government during the July uprising, he said that a grieving mother had cried out that her son had been shot and burned alive.
Fakhrul said that Hasina could never be forgiven for such cruelty, calling her a disgrace to humanity, and asserted that bringing those responsible to justice would be their first priority if voted to power.
He said that BNP’s second task would be to arrange rehabilitation for the families of the martyrs, as well as for those who had been injured or lost their sight, otherwise the nation would not forgive them in future.
Fakhrul said that the BNP would raise a fund to provide as much support as possible to these families.
The event, chaired by Krishak Dal president Hasan Zafir Tuhin, was addressed by BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, among others.
