Bangladesh Nationalist Party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said on Friday that the interim government’s credibility would be ruined if a new political party was formed under state patronage.
Rizvi came up with the remark at a programme organised by ‘Amra BNP Paribar’, a pro-BNP organisation which provides supports to the people in distress, at Katashur at Mohammadpur in the capital Dhaka.
‘We have come across reports at newspapers that a new political party named Jatiya Nagorik Committee is going to be formed,’ he said.
‘We are stepping on the path of democracy, so, it is good news if the students who led the anti-discrimination movement are coming with the new political party, but it shouldn’t be a king’s party.’
Noting that everyone has rights to form a political party, he said that if the party was formed under state sponsorship, the government’s credibility would be ruined.
Participants in the democratic movement must respect the values of democracy, he added.
Rizvi also said that history would not forgive them (the interim government) if they made any mistakes. If the interim government fails, the country’s independence and sovereignty may be endangered, he said.
He said that the roadmap given by the interim government was a protracted one, and the people did not expect it.
Mentioning that the BNP had never backed down on the movement and struggles in the past, Rizvi also said that the BNP had a glorious contribution in 1971, November 7, 1975, and mass uprisings in 1990 and 2024.
BNP chairperson’s advisory council member Zainul Abedin Farroque on Friday urged the chief adviser to announce a clear date and a roadmap for the national election, without making any delays in the process using the execution of reforms as a pretext.
‘We will listen to what the chief adviser says. Please, specify the roadmap and election date,’ he said while addressing a discussion arranged by the Bangladesh Chalak Dal at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital Dhaka.
He also said that the people of the country did not want the interim government to delay the transfer of power to the elected representatives or the election in the name of reforms.
‘No matter who says what, the people’s representatives will decide what will be fully reformed and what will not,’ he said.
Farroque said that if the government announced the election date, it would bring relief to the people and restore their confidence that democracy and the rule of law would be re-established through a fair election.
He called upon the government to take necessary steps to prevent the manipulation of the market by the Awami League’s ‘ghosts’ during Ramadan, the fasting month for the Muslims.
The BNP leader alleged that the Awami League was plotting to destabilise the country by carrying out attacks on members of the Hindu community.
He said that deposed autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina must face trial in Bangladesh and be held accountable for her misdeeds, including killings and repression.
