BNP confident of landslide victory: Fakhrul

Staff Reporter :

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said his party is heading toward a landslide victory in the upcoming national election, alleging that this certainty has prompted some political groups to work against the electoral process.

“Only 23 days remain before the election. Yet during this short time, several parties are repeatedly claiming that the election may not take place at all. Some are openly saying the polls will be blocked. If the election is held, it is doubtful whether they would even secure three votes,” Fakhrul said while addressing a discussion at the Diploma Engineers Institution in Dhaka. The event was organised to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of former President Ziaur Rahman.

Expressing strong confidence, Fakhrul said BNP is poised for an overwhelming victory as people are eager to see the party return to power. “The people want a modern state under the leadership of Tarique Rahman. They want him to implement his vision and future roadmap for Bangladesh,” he added.

Criticising a political party for seeking votes in the name of religion, Fakhrul described such actions as blatant hypocrisy. “They claim that voting for the ‘daripalla’ symbol will guarantee heaven even without iman or amol.

There can be no greater hypocrisy than this. While BNP is working with a clear plan to rebuild the nation, another party is motivated by revenge and violence,” he said.

Fakhrul also alleged that Jamaat has never represented the aspirations of the people. “Their leader Maulana Maududi opposed Pakistan and ignored the aspirations of Muslims.

The same party stood against the Liberation War in 1971 and disregarded the will of the Bengali nation. Now they are once again spreading misleading propaganda,” he said.

He further accused the interim government of acting dishonestly regarding the reform process through a referendum. “It was agreed that only consensus-based issues would be placed in the referendum. However, issues BNP did not agree with were included without informing us. Despite this, we accepted it in the national interest. Yet questions are raised about whether BNP wants reforms. The reforms now being discussed are the same ones we have been demanding since 2022. We are even prepared to sacrifice our lives for these reforms,” he said.

Highlighting the legacy of Ziaur Rahman, Fakhrul said the former president gave the people of Bangladesh a distinct national identity. “There are many Bengalis across the world, but Ziaur Rahman gave the Bengalis of this land a unique identity — ‘Bangladeshi’,” he said.

He added that the banner of democracy carried by Ziaur Rahman was passed on to Khaleda Zia and is now in the hands of Tarique Rahman. “Tarique Rahman has told the people that he has a plan the moment he steps on Bangladeshi soil. His objective is to build a new, democratic Bangladesh rooted in the ideals of Ziaur Rahman,” Fakhrul said.

At the programme, BNP standing committee members paid tribute to Ziaur Rahman and called for building a new Bangladesh under the leadership of Tarique Rahman by upholding the former president’s ideals.