Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chair Tarique Rahman on Wednesday urged the political parties allied in the anti-fascist street movement to refrain from creating confusion or unrest in the current political situation.
He cautioned that any attempt by a political group to manipulate the interim administration or to block the BNP鈥檚 victory through unfair means would ultimately lead to political disaster for those involved.
Speaking virtually at a discussion on 鈥楴ational Revolution and Solidarity Day鈥� at the Bangladesh鈥揅hina Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka, Tarique appealed to BNP allies in the anti-fascist movement to maintain unity and avoid actions that could weaken the collective struggle.
He criticised certain political parties for trying to obstruct or complicate the upcoming national elections through conditional demands, saying such moves could only serve to benefit the defeated autocratic forces.
The interim government has already set February as the time for the Jatiya Sangsad elections, Tarique said, adding that it must now decide whether to prioritise the aspirations of a single political group or to establish a government that would be accountable to the people and committed to democracy.
Drawing a comparison with North Korea, he said that having 鈥榙emocracy鈥� written in a constitution did not guarantee its existence in practice.
Tarique emphasised the need for political compromise, democratic values, patriotism and, above all, national unity.
He said that despite being the most popular political party, the BNP had made significant concessions to preserve anti-fascist unity, demonstrating a positive and cooperative attitude towards most of the points discussed by the National Consensus Commission.
Reaffirming the BNP stance, Tarique said that the party remained firmly committed to upholding all pledges made in the July National Charter 2025.
He warned that the so-called referendum might be used as a cover to rehabilitate defeated and fugitive autocratic elements in national politics, calling on the country鈥檚 democratic citizens to remain vigilant.
Reflecting on Bangladesh鈥檚 political history, Tarique said that the 1971 Liberation War, the 1975 November 7, the 1990 anti-autocracy movement, and the 2024 anti-fascist movement all shared one common goal 鈥� ensuring the political and economic rights of the people.
He lamented that over 1,500 lives were lost in July and August alone in the recent struggle against fascism, stressing that these sacrifices were made not for political bargaining but for establishing a government accountable to the people.
The BNP leader accused some political parties of exploiting the interim government鈥檚 weakness to undermine democratic rights, urging them instead to face the people in the upcoming February elections.
Tarique said that while the country had produced around 10 to 11.5 million tonnes of potatoes this year, farmers are struggling to sell their produce even at half the production cost, facing an estimated loss of about Tk 3,000 crore.
He argued that spending a similar amount of money on a so-called referendum, merely to satisfy the demands of a few political parties, would be unjustifiable when farmers were suffering such heavy losses.
Expressing concern over a recent remark by Jamaat amir Shafiqur Rahman about reducing women鈥檚 working hours from eight to five per day, Tarique warned that such a move could discourage employers from hiring women, putting at risk over two crore female workers, particularly in the garments sector.
He said that rather than pushing for a costly referendum, the government should focus on reassuring women that their jobs and rights were secure.
Tarique lamented that despite months of discussions on state reform, not a single session or agenda had been dedicated to addressing unemployment or creating job opportunities for millions of jobless citizens.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Salahuddin Ahmed, among others, spoke at the event.