At Dhaka Rally: Tarique vows safe Bangladesh

Staff Reporter :

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman vowed to build a Bangladesh where men and women can move freely and safely at any time, saying the BNP is the only party with the experience and plans to run the country properly.

He made the remarks while addressing a large election rally at Banani Playground on Kemal Ataturk Avenue in Dhaka-17 on Monday, just two days before the much-anticipated parliamentary election and referendum scheduled for 12 February.

The playground and its surrounding areas were crowded with people from all walks of life.

Men and women, young and old, gathered wearing party caps, waving national and BNP flags, and holding paddy sheaf symbols. Slogans echoed across the avenue as supporters filled the rally venue, creating a vibrant political atmosphere in the constituency.

Opening his speech with greetings to the crowd, Rahman said the upcoming election would be held after years of political struggle and sacrifice.

“In the last 16 years, many people have been victims of killing,” he said, referring to political violence and repression.

Mentioning the July movement, he added, “We saw how many people were killed and how many became crippled.”

He said the right to vote had been regained through these sacrifices. “In exchange for their blood, we have regained our democratic rights,” Rahman told the gathering.

“We are going to exercise those rights on the coming 12th, InshAllah.”

Introducing himself as the BNP candidate for Dhaka-17 with the Sheaf of Paddy symbol, Rahman highlighted his personal ties to the area. “My upbringing was in this area.

I grew up here after 1972,” he said, adding that his family and children were also rooted in the constituency.

He noted that BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia had spent her life in the same area and had taken her last breath there, creating what he described as a “mental and spiritual relationship” between his family and the residents of Dhaka-17.

Turning to policy commitments, Rahman said people across Bangladesh had high expectations from BNP.

“We have tried to adopt plans and programmes so that if the people elect us and we form the government, we can address every class and profession,” he said.

He placed particular emphasis on women’s empowerment, noting that women make up half of the country’s population.

“If we cannot make women economically self-reliant alongside their political rights, development is not possible,” he said.

Recalling Khaleda Zia’s initiatives, Rahman said free education for girls from Class 1 to Class 12 had transformed women’s education across the country.

Building on that legacy, he announced a new proposal. “In the next BNP government, we want to make these educated women economically self-reliant,” he said.

BNP has outlined a series of welfare and reform measures aimed at families, farmers, youth and healthcare.

As part of the plan, the party would introduce a nationwide “Family Card” to provide minimum financial support to mothers and housewives, helping families move towards self-reliance.

Focusing on agriculture, Rahman described farmers as the backbone of the country and announced a “Krishi Card” to ensure direct delivery of government support to marginal, small and medium farmers.

Addressing youth unemployment, he said millions of educated young people remained jobless, warning that the country could not progress without engaging them.

BNP would expand vocational, technological and IT-based training, while offering small bank loans for overseas employment so that workers do not have to sell ancestral land.

On healthcare, Rahman pledged to appoint one lakh healthcare workers nationwide to provide primary care, particularly to women and children at home, creating jobs and improving public health.

He also promised government-funded honorariums for religious leaders of all faiths to ensure a dignified livelihood.

Speaking on law and order, Rahman said BNP’s ultimate goal was to ensure safety for all citizens.

“We want a Bangladesh where anyone can conduct business or work safely and sleep in their homes without fear,” he said.

Referring to local issues, he acknowledged that Dhaka-17 suffers from traffic congestion, air pollution and waterlogging. “If we all work together, we can change this situation,” he told the crowd.

Rahman criticised what he described as the failures of the past 15 years, saying roads, schools, colleges and hospitals had deteriorated while so-called mega projects resulted in “mega corruption”.

He contrasted this with BNP’s past record, citing increased food production under Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and industrial growth during Khaleda Zia’s tenure, when Bangladesh emerged as an “emerging tiger”.

Concluding his speech, Rahman urged voters to support the Sheaf of Paddy. “The BNP believes the people are the source of all political power,” he said. “This country is ours. We must rebuild it ourselves.”

He also held a series of meetings in Dhaka-4, the Dhaka-5, Dhaka-8 and Dhaka-10 constituencies.

Addressing an election rally on Pir Jangi Mazar Road in Dhaka-8, Tarique Rahman questioned his rivals’ preparedness to govern.

“Running a country requires plans for the people. Where are their plans? It requires programmes. Where are their programmes? It requires experience,” he said, adding that his opponents offered little beyond “big words”.

Earlier, speaking at another rally, Tarique urged voters to remain alert ahead of the national election, alleging attempts to manipulate the polls through the use of fake ballot seals.

“We have seen leaders and activists of a group caught while making fake ballot seals. Today, in Dhaka-10 and across the country, all democracy-loving people and those who want to change the fate of this nation must stay vigilant against such activities,” he said.

Tarique made the remarks around 2:00pm while addressing a rally at the Kalabagan Krira Chakra field in the Dhaka-10 constituency.