BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday accused Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of misleading the public by spreading lies about the upcoming national election.
“A party is saying BNP wants to delay the election… but it is they who are actually trying to derail the polls,” he said while speaking at a rally of freedom fighters.
Fakhrul said BNP has never called for delaying the polls as it is an election-oriented party. “Ever since the mass uprising we have been calling for elections. We have repeatedly said the election should be held as soon as possible. So, I would like to tell them—don’t deceive people with lies or try to mislead the public.” Referring to a recent remark by Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Fakhrul said the Jamaat leader wrongly blamed BNP for obstructing the election.
“In reality, it is you who have created the obstacles. You are now demanding PR (proportional representation), which was never part of the discussions. You are forming alliances, taking to the streets, and issuing threats that if it’s not done your way, the election won’t happen. Don’t think people are foolish,” the BNP leader said.
The pro-BNP platform Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal organised the rally titled ‘The Upcoming National Parliament Election is Essential to Protect Freedom, Sovereignty and Democracy’ at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the upcoming National Revolution and Solidarity Day on November 7. Fakhrul said the country is passing through a very critical time. “This is a test for us—how patiently we can face this period and ensure that the election is held.”
Reacting to a recent comment by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, the BNP leader said, “He himself said there could be attacks at any time. He should have clearly mentioned from where such attacks might come and who would carry them out.” He said the nation is ready to resist any attack and face any conspiracy or evil force. “I want to make it clear—the people of this country cannot be defeated through fear or threats. The people of Bangladesh want democracy and a democratic system.”
Fakhrul alleged that an anti-liberation force is now trying to belittle the history of 1971. “A force that opposed independence in 1971 is now trying to downplay 1971 and exaggerating the July 2024 mass uprising.”
He said BNP made huge sacrifices and faced severe repression during the long struggle against what he called Sheikh Hasina’s fascist rule, which led to the success of the July uprising. “So, if anyone now wants to take sole credit for it, we are not willing to accept that.” The BNP leader said his party does not want division, but “some people and some forces are trying, in a planned way, to create division in society.”
“They want us to forget 1971. Their goal is to deny that Bangladesh became an independent and sovereign state through struggle and war in 1971. They even want to deny the proclamation of independence made by our leader Ziaur Rahman,” he said. Fakhrul said there was no room for forgetting 1971 as that year marked the nation’s birth and the time when the country gained its independence. “We must always remember that.”
He said that 1971 was the essence of the nation’s identity, its existence, and distinctiveness while the declaration of independence made that day marked its emergence as a new nation.
Fakhrul said the anti-liberation forces are now showing their arrogance. “I would like to ask them to remember their own past… Think about the role you played in 1971 and keep it in mind.” He reminded Jamaat that in 1971 the party had branded the Liberation War as chaos caused by miscreants. “You also tried to portray it as an uprising by some troublemakers. I am saying this clearly, and if it displeases you, I have nothing to do.”
Fakhrul said the nation has not forgotten those who joined hands with the killers from the Pakistani occupation in 1971 and those who murdered ordinary people, intellectuals and other learned citizens and dumped their bodies in mass graves. Pointing to the freedom fighters, the BNP leader said Bangladesh exists today because they fought and won independence.
“Your struggle established this nation. It is now everyone’s responsibility to protect the country. Those enemies who try to destroy the country and plot against the people, we will foil all their conspiracies with the support of the people. We will establish democracy in the country,” Fakhrul said.
BNP Standing Committee Member Hafizuddin Ahmed said the interim government formed after the mass uprising seems indifferent to recognising the contributions of freedom fighters. He said there are visible attempts to undermine the Liberation War and erase its spirit from the nation’s memory.
Hafiz warned that living freedom fighters would resist any move to distort the Liberation War or glorify anti-liberation forces. He hoped the government would hold an election as promised and form an elected parliament where the July Charter would be implemented.
The BNP leader, however, said nothing should be added to the July Charter without agreement among all political parties.
He said that the people of the country do not need the July Charter as they need a free, fair, and acceptable election. “The July Charter will mainly serve to protect the future security of the advisers, not the interests of the people.”
Hafiz said BNP has made many sacrifices and concessions for the sake of holding an election on the basis of national consensus, but some view these concessions as a sign of weakness. He also said that a political party, driven by its desire for power, is trying to disrupt the election process, which is an ominous sign for the country’s democracy.
The BNP leader said the next parliament will be the centre of the country’s politics and development, where elected representatives will decide which reforms are needed for the nation’s progress. Hafiz also warned that a certain quarter is conspiring to delay or disrupt the national election and urged the people and freedom fighters to unite and resist such efforts.