National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam on Sunday said that political parties could not even dream of elections without the July uprising and the country would have to wait for another four years for an election.
鈥榁arious attempts are being made to spread propaganda against us. They say that we are trying to foil the election. They accuse us of attempting to delay it. But without the mass uprising, you could not have even dreamt of the election,鈥� said Nahid pointing to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
鈥楿nder the Sheikh Hasina-led government, you would have to wait for another four years had we not turned the quota reform movement into a mass uprising,鈥� he further said.
Nahid made the remarks at a rally in Jamalpur鈥檚 Faujdari area on the 28th day of the party鈥檚 ongoing programme marking the first anniversary of the July uprising.
鈥榃e transformed the quota reforms movement into a mass uprising to ensure people鈥檚 voting rights, to establish democracy,鈥� said Nahid, also a former central leader of the Students Against Discrimination movement that spearheaded the July uprising to oust the Awami League regime on August 5.
He stated that the NCP, too, wanted the election, people鈥檚 voting rights, and freedom of expression, but only the elections and changes in the government would not change the lives of people.
Emphasising on trial of the Awami League and its leaders for the massacres during the mass uprising, fundamental reforms in various sectors and a new constitution, Nahid reasserted that NCP聽 did not want only the elections -- but the party wanted all of these.
鈥楢s the uprising has happened and (overthrown the Hasina government), we, too, want to participate in the forthcoming elections but only after the fundamental reforms and trials have been carried out,鈥� said the convener of the party, which was formed by a group of student and youth leaders, who led the uprising.
Earlier in the day, NCP leaders visited the families of those killed during the July uprising and held a march from Tomaltola to the meeting venue in Faujdari area.
NCP leaders and activists, including the party鈥檚 chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, senior joint member secretary Tasnim Jara and joint member secretary Lutfor Rahman, among others, participated in the events.
Later, in the day, the NCP leaders and activists also held a rally in Mymensingh.
