Staff Reporter :
BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed on Friday said that those who had previously pushed for delaying the national election belong to an “anti-democracy camp,” noting that several parties accepted the announced election and referendum schedule only “with heavy hearts.”
“The announcement of the election schedule on Thursday was a positive step in the democratic transition.
We welcomed it with satisfaction… but many were compelled to welcome it reluctantly,” he said while speaking at the opening session of the sixth day of BNP’s “Plan to Build the Country” workshop at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium in Farmgate.
He said the central expectation of the mass uprising was to restore people’s voting rights, and the announced schedule is a step toward that goal.
Salahuddin criticised the parties and individuals who had campaigned for “no PR, no election,” demanded local government polls first, asked for a concurrent referendum, or even proposed
waiting until 2029. “I don’t want to name them… but they all stand in the anti-democracy camp.
Their definition of democracy is different; they want democracy on their own terms,” he said.
The BNP Standing Committee member said that late President Ziaur Rahman founded BNP to unite people across classes, professions, religions, and cultures, making the party “a school of inclusive politics.”
He said BNP rejects any division based on religion, ethnicity, or language. “Our only constitutional identity is that we are citizens of Bangladesh.”
Salahuddin alleged that one political party is avoiding criticism of the Awami League because it is trying to attract its supporters.
“In our village idiom, they don’t even dare to utter their brother-in-law’s name. They are doing everything possible to win over Awami League’s votes,” he said.
He urged BNP activists not to forget the “painful history” of democratic struggles, nor the corruption, repression, and rights violations he said took place during the Awami League’s tenure.
Referring to economist Debapriya Bhattacharya’s “White Papers on the State of the Bangladesh Economy,” he said BNP activists must explain its findings to ordinary people in simple terms.
Salahuddin claimed that the misuse of public funds between 2009 and 2023 could have financed “two education budgets or three health budgets.”
He added that reported losses in the banking and non-banking sectors were equivalent to the cost of “24 Padma Bridges or 14 metro rail systems,” and alleged that over Tk 29 lakh crore had been siphoned abroad through financial misconduct.
He criticised some political groups that historically opposed Bangladesh’s interests but now claim to be “pro–Liberation War.”
“Sometimes we wonder whether that Liberation War was actually in favour of Pakistan,” he remarked.
Salahuddin said Bangladeshi voters have become more conscious and that no one will be able to win votes using religion.
He called on Chhatra Dal leaders to communicate BNP’s initiatives—such as family cards, farmer cards, health cards, educational programmes, and employment plans—in simple language to draw public attention.
He urged BNP leaders to undertake door-to-door campaigns. “People will realise that BNP is the party of the people. They will understand that another name for democracy is BNP, and that the paddy sheaf is the symbol of liberation.”
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi chaired the event, conducted by Joint Secretary General Habib Un Nabi Khan.
Salahuddin inaugurated the programme at the KIB auditorium, while BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman addressed the concluding session virtually.
