‘18 crore people’ reject AL,’ claims BNP
Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Awami League, claiming that the overwhelming majority of the country’s population no longer wants to see the party return to power.
Speaking at a Youth Rally held on the Polo Ground in Chattogram, Fakhrul told a crowd of young activists and supporters that “eighteen crore people of the country do not want to see the Awami League.”
He said this fascist party, since the country’s independence, has only brought repression, not progress.
“While we are holding this Youth Rally, another rally is taking place in the New Market area, and another one is happening in Dhaka. They are all demanding a ban on the Awami League,” Fakhrul said. “It’s not just us here on the ground-18 crore people across the country do not want to see the Awami League.”
The rally, organised jointly by the BNP’s youth wings-Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal-aimed to mobilise young voters and demand expanded political rights for Bangladesh’s youth, particularly in a post-Awami League political future. The event drew thousands of participants from across Chattogram and nearby districts.
Framing the Awami League as an authoritarian force that has stifled freedom and democratic expression, Fakhrul said the recent surge in anti-Awami League protests-from Shahbagh in Dhaka to district towns across the country-was evidence of a rising tide of public rejection.
“The Awami League has turned the state into a tool of oppression. Today’s youth see through their lies. That’s why rallies like this are happening everywhere,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd.
The remarks come amid growing street mobilisations calling for the banning of the Awami League. Protesters in Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection have continued a blockade for two straight days, demanding the party be declared a terrorist organization and tried under the International Crimes Tribunal Act.
Fakhrul’s statement appears to align the BNP with the broader anti-Awami League movement now being led by new alliances and activist groups outside traditional party structures. While BNP has not officially called for a ban on the Awami League, Friday’s speech signaled a deepening of the party’s rhetoric against its longtime rival.