Political parties meet Chief Adviser to safeguard July Uprising
NN ONLINE:
Leaders of major political parties at a meeting with the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said that they are united in resisting all attempts to undermine the July Uprising.
They made the commitment describing the attack on Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Mancha and a potential independent candidate for Dhaka-8, as part of a conspiracy to foil the uprising. Leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party took part in the meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna here, said the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing this afternoon.
BNP Standing Committee members Salahuddin Ahmed and Major (Retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed Bir Bikram, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar and Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair and NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Chief Organiser for Southern Region Hasnat Abdullah, Inquilab Mancha Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul were present at the meeting. The Chief Adviser said the attack on Osman Hadi was pre-planned and part of a deep conspiracy backed by powerful forces.
“The conspirators aim to prevent the election. This attack is highly symbolic. They want to demonstrate their strength and foil all preparations for the election. All of these must be confronted in a united manner,” he said. Prof Yunus said that based on information received so far, it appears the conspirators have expanded their network and deployed trained shooters.
The political parties have decided to hold an all-party meeting protesting the heinous attack on Osman Hadi under the initiative of Inquilab Mancha. The meeting will be held in the next few days. Leaders of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP called for increasing communication among political parties to prevent a rift in the anti-fascist political unity. They said that the parties will take a strong stance in this regard.
Besides, the political leaders also called for conducting strict drives to recover illegal weapons before the elections. BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed put emphasis on unity among the political parties, saying, “In this situation, we must remain united and refrain from blaming each other under any circumstances”.
“We must raise a united voice against the conspiracy. We will not tolerate any kind of evil force,” he said, adding, “No matter how much opposition there is in our political speeches, we must remain united in the interest of the nation and the interest of July”. He called for intensifying drives to recover illegal arms and against the conspirators.
Jamaat leader Mia Golam Parwar said, “Our recent statements have increased the tendency of blaming each other, which has given our opponents an opportunity. We must remain united as before.”
“We have turned each other into rivals for narrow party interests. Why should we use words that divide the nation? All parties must reaffirm their commitments,” he said. NCP chief Nahid Islam said that since the July Uprising, some people have been carrying out ill-attempt to undermine the uprising.
“Campaign is being carried out against July in a well-organised manner. This is taking place across media and different tiers of the administration. Whoever comes to power through the election will also suffer from this. No one will be able to run the government alone,” he said.
Nahid said that narratives are being created in the media and on social media about the July Uprising that makes it seem like those who carried out the uprising committed crimes while various efforts are underway to normalise the Awami League and Jatiya Party. “They are appearing regularly on TV talk shows, holding meetings within the administration, gathering at universities, and chanting slogans in court premises,” he added.
“We do not need special security and we will not take it. We all must own July collectively. While we argue over who says what about July, we are destroying July. The conspirators see our disunity as our defeat. They are doing whatever they want from India, but we cannot do anything,” he said.
Nahid Islam further said, “Those who are implementing the objectives of the Awami League in the guise of intellectuals and cultural activists must be stopped. Action must be taken in this regard.” NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah said that no security measure will be effective if political forces fail to remain united.
“If we cannot remain united ourselves, no security measure will be effective for us. The parties are creating various opportunities for the Awami League for political interests,” he added. The Chief Adviser said, “We have to think about what we can do for the future”.
Not only the government, everyone must remain strong, he said, adding, everyone must be careful so that “conflicts do not spread among ourselves”. Law Adviser Asif Nazrul said the Awami League gained strength after conflict began among political parties. Urging the political parties to remain united, he said, “You must remain alert not only about your party interests, but also about the national interests.”