Tarique Rahman urges allies on street not to complicate political scenario
BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman today urged political parties which waged the anti-fascist street movement not to complicate the current situation in the country.
"I call upon my street allies in the anti-fascist movement - do not unnecessarily complicate the situation," he said joining online a discussion marking the historic 7th November National Revolution and Solidarity Day.
"Despite being the country's most popular and publicly supported party, BNP made the maximum compromise to keep the anti-fascist national unity intact in the greater interest of the country and the people. This is not mere rhetoric; it is a proven truth," Tarique Rahman said.
He said if every course of the National Consensus Commission was reviewed, it would be found that BNP demonstrated a positive attitude on most points and it was "determined to uphold all the pledges made in the July National Charter".
"(But) if any party tries to take advantage of the weak interim government to achieve whatever they want, or resorts to a malicious strategy to obstruct the BNP's victory, it might ultimately cause a political disaster for themselves," the acting BNP chairman warned.
BNP organized the event at the Bangladesh China Friendship International Conference Center (BCFICC) which was chaired by its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Tarique Rahman urged the allies in the anti-fascist movement to face the people in February elections, instead of issuing threats to the interim government, keeping in mind that not every citizen was an activist of any particular party.
"All parties should remember there is a huge number of non-political or non-partisan people who are not supporters or activists of theirs," he said.
Tarique Rahman called for a mental shift in politics saying "everything is not guaranteed simply because it is written in the Constitution".
"What is needed most of all is a change in the hypocritical attitude towards the state and politics. A change in mindset is necessary, as is the need for political understanding, and a democratic mentality," he said.
"Above all, patriotism and national unity are required."
Tarique Rahman said that on this day, November 7, 1975, the historical revolution of the patriotic sepoys and the people defeated those who wanted to turn Bangladesh into a dependent state, those who sought to establish a one-party dictatorship by stripping people off their democratic and political rights, and those who tried to tarnish the glory of Bangladesh Army, "the symbol of the country's valour, heroism, courage and honour".
"Let our main pledge for this November 7th be that no one in the future will be able to abduct the rights of the country and its people or turn the country into a dependent state," he said.
Tarique Rahman said national unity is essential to realise this pledge and "if we want to maintain national unity in the socio-economic, geographical, and political reality of Bangladesh, we must wholeheartedly embody the spirit of the Sepoy-People's Revolution like that of November 7".
He noted that the people took to the street to establish their rights in the state and politics, adding that thousands of people did not sacrifice their lives on the streets just to establish the rights of a specific political party or group or to create an opportunity for political bargaining.
In an apparent reference to the demand of staging a referendum on July Charter ahead of the planned national elections, Rahman the money that would be spent for the plebiscite could help farmers with potato cultivation and to build onion storage facilities.
"Potato farmers are anticipating a loss of nearly 3,000 crore Taka this year. On the other hand, we see that the state would have to lose almost the same amount of money to hold a so-called unnecessary referendum to satisfy the demands of one or two political parties," he said.
In such a situation, Tarique Rahman said, getting a fair price for potatoes was more important to these loss-facing potato farmers than a 'referendum'."
He further added that farmers have the capacity to produce more onions than the national demand but due to a lack of proper storage facilities, the country is needed to rely on onion imports.
Tarique Rahman said for farmers, building onion storage facilities with the thousands of crores of Taka to be spent for so-called 'referendum production" was more acceptable.
The BNP secretary general in his speech said the historic November 7 was a revolt against expansionism, reflecting the unity of patriotic soldiers and the people of the country and subsequently "Ziaur Rahman gifted Bangladesh a truly new political system in a very short time".
Ziaur Rahman, he said, ensured democracy in all sectors, including the transition from a one-party to a multi-party system, the freedom of the press, and the independence of the judiciary "all within a very short period".
"He truly built Bangladesh as an independent, sovereign, progressive, and secular nation," Alamgir said.
He supplemented the party's acting chairman saying certain political parties created a crisis in political arena "which is extremely purposeful".
"This crisis has been created to obstruct the path of Bangladesh's democratic transition, to obstruct the election that is truly necessary for reform, and to push the future of the people into uncertainty," Alamgir said.
BNP standing committee members Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Selima Rahman, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mirza Abbas, Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Nazrul Islam Khan and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku also spoke as special guests at the event.
BNP Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku and Central committee member Sattar Patoyari moderated the event joined as well by Dhaka University Pro-Chancellor Dr. Mamun Ahmed, National University (NU) Vice-Chancellor ASM Amanullah, Economist Prof Mahbub Ullah, Chairman of Jatiya Party (Kazi Jafar) Mostofa Jamal Haydar as speakers.