Staff Reporter :
The BNP on Thursday urged the people to boycott Indian products in response to the desecration of Bangladesh’s national flag and the recent attack on Bangladesh’s Assistant High Commission in Agartala in the neighboring country.
“Those who tear down our country’s flag… we will boycott their (India’s) products,” BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed said while speaking at a rally organized under the slogan ‘Buy local products and be blessed,’ held in front of the National Press Club in the capital.
Rizvi condemned such action of the neighboring country at the rally aimed at promoting the use of Bangladeshi products over Indian goods.
Rizvi specifically called on Bangladeshi women to stop buying Indian products like sarees, soaps, and toothpaste. He emphasized that Bangladesh is self-sufficient in essential items like onions, and therefore, we should not rely on India.
“We will not depend on them… we will boycott Indian products,” he said.
The BNP leader demonstrated his call for a boycott by publicly burning an Indian saree, which he claimed belonged to his wife, as anti-Indian slogans filled the air.
“We will wear Tangail sarees, Rajshahi silk sarees, or khaddar from Cumilla,” Rizvi said, promoting local alternatives.
Despite his strong words against Indian products, Rizvi made it clear that Bangladesh would not insult India’s national flag or its sovereignty, unlike the disrespect shown to Bangladesh’s flag.
“We will not disrespect the independence and sovereignty of any nation,” he stated, stressing the importance of maintaining mutual respect.
Rizvi also addressed the growing anti-Bangladesh rhetoric from India, pointing out that the people of Bangladesh would not bow to external pressures. “Even if it means eating just one meal a day, we will not lower our heads,” he declared.
He further criticized Indian journalists and doctors who had recently commented negatively about Bangladeshi patients seeking treatment in India, arguing that Bangladeshi citizens spend foreign currency in India for goods and services, contrary to the narrative being propagated in the media.
Rizvi expressed that India favors the Bangladeshi government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but not the people of Bangladesh. He warned against any attempts to provoke the people of Bangladesh, asserting that the unity of the nation’s political parties would not be broken by such instigations.
The event also featured speeches by other BNP leaders, including Joint Secretary General Abdul Salam Azad, Volunteer Affairs Secretary Mir Sharafat Ali Sapu, and Health Affairs Secretary Rafiqul Islam.
