Goyeshwar calls for empowering people to safeguard sovereignty

BNP Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy on Thursday said ensuring people’s rights and empowering them were essential to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and countering conspiracies.

“Strengthening the hands of any particular leader does not guarantee the country’s sovereignty. We must first strengthen the hands of the people, who take to the streets when necessary and confront conspiracies,” he said.

Goyeshwar made the remarks at a discussion organised by the Progressive Nationalist Party (PNP) at the Jatiya Press Club marking the party’s founding anniversary.

Speaking about the July-August mass uprising of 2024, the BNP leader said it had demonstrated how political parties with different ideologies could unite for the sake of the country.

He said ordinary people and students had not initially joined the 17-year movement against the previous government in large numbers because they were fighting separately.

“We failed to bring ordinary people and students into the 17-year movement against the previous ousted government as they were fighting on their own. But the situation changed when students and the public took to the streets,” he said.

Goyeshwar also defended BNP’s strategy of joint movements, saying the party’s 31-point reform proposal had been developed through consultations with political parties involved in the movement against the ousted Awami League government.

He also spoke about the role of religion in state governance, saying a country could not be governed solely through religion.

“Religion is one thing, and running the state is another. A country cannot survive on religion alone. National identity is built on many elements, including our culture, language, heritage, the Liberation War and geographical boundaries,” he said.

Goyeshwar said Bangladesh’s national identity had been shaped by its language, culture, heritage, the Liberation War and geographical boundaries.

He credited BNP founder President Ziaur Rahman with fostering what he described as a distinct Bangladeshi national identity by bringing these elements together.