Staff Reporter :
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday said the interim government should cautiously handle its responsibility as per the desire of the countrymen saying the people would not accept their incompetence.
“The interim government has to manifest its commitment for ensuring people’s voting rights through credible polls in a bid to strengthen ties with people and build their trust,” the BNP leader said while virtually addressing a council in Dhaka from London.
Tarique Rahman also warned that people will not tolerate it if they find the incompetence of the government in running the country.
“This government has already taken an initiative to restructure the Election Commission. People expect to cast their votes freely, without fear, in a neutral and transparent environment and to elect their representatives,” he said.
The BNP leader said the relationship between the government and people will grow stronger if the public can maintain their confidence in it. “When people will see that the government is genuinely working to uphold their voting and other fundamental rights, their trust in the government will naturally deepen.”
Tarique Rahman addressed the concluding session of the third National Council of the Jatiyatabadi Textile Engineers Association of Bangladesh as the chief guest at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
The BNP leader said all the evil efforts of plotters will go in vain if the interim government can meet even the minimum of the people’s demands.
“If the political and economic empowerment of the people is not ensured, then no matter what we call democracy, development, or reform, none of it will be sustainable,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said the deposed autocrats and their associates, both within the country and abroad, as well as elements within the administration, are actively working to fail the interim government.
Tarique said Sheikh Hasina fled the country after brutally injuring around 30,000 people and killing approximately 2,000 students and mass people.
The BNP leader pointed out that over the past 15 years, autocratic governments made the country increasingly dependent on imports and foreign loans. “The country needs to be freed from such a situation”.
Speaking at the programme, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the country is facing a very critical time. “We must navigate this period with great caution.”
He urged the interim government to quickly complete the necessary electoral reforms to ensure credible and acceptable elections, in line with the people’s wishes.
Tarique also called on BNP leaders and activists to preserve the party’s image by refraining from any wrongdoings and standing firm against any form of injustice.
BNP Standing Committee members Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, among others, addressed the programme, with Jatiyatabadi Textile Engineers Association of Bangladesh President Fakhrul Alam in the chair.