Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday described democracy and BNP as synonymous words saying the party was first to introduce a caretaker government system for establishing democracy.
"Many of our leaders and activists were killed in the past 16 years. Many others were exiled for establishing democracy. We should not let this achieved democracy go in vain," he said.
Mirza Fakhrul said this while presiding over a massive rally in front of the party's Nayapaltan central office in the capital marking the International Day of Democracy.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman addressed the rally as the chief guest joining it virtually.
The BNP secretary general said many officials of the fascist regime are still holding their chairs and hatching conspiracies to impede the process of establishing democracy.
He urged the interim government to immediately remove them from their chairs.
BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said people's rights have not been established yet.
He urged the government to make the reforms required for holding a free, fair and neutral election within a quickest possible time.
Another BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas said, "I had suffered jail terms in a cooked case. We will definitely hold its trial. Awami League leaders are being arrested in the past couple of days. Angry mobs are beating them wherever they are found. I was arrested 34 times in the last 17 years. But, we were received with flowers. We were going to jail as heroes and walking out of the jail like heroes."
BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said, "The history which was written in Bangladesh by the freedom-loving student-people, would be written in golden words around the globe. The autocrat Hasina had been washed away by the wave of the student-people. The BNP has supported the student-people and will do the same in future. But, the first mandate election must have to give in due time alongside holding trial of the torture and repression in the last 16 years."
A temporary stage was erected centering the rally. The leaders and workers started gathering at the rally venue from noon with a series of processions ignoring the scorching hit and made the Nayapaltan vibrant with slogans in the names of BNP’s founder Ziaur Rahman, former Prime Minister Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia and Deshnayak Tarique Rahman.
They have expressed their jubilations by fastening national flags on heads. However, the traffic movement in Nayapaltan, Kakrail, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Bijoynagar, Fakirapool and Arambagh area had been hampered a little bit.
The leaders and activists had expressed their happiness as they could join the BNP rally without any obstacle after the fall of autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.
BNP Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, party’s Dhaka City North unit Member Secretary Aminul Haque and City South unit member secretary Tanvir Ahmed Robin moderated the rally while Standing Committee Members Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, BNP central leaders Zainul Abedin Farroque, Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon, Aman Ullah Aman, Abdus Salam, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Habib Un Nabi Khan Sohel, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Abdus Salam Azad, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Kazi Sayedul Alam Babul, Kamruzzaman Ratan, Fazlul Haque Milon from Gazipur district, Nipun Roy Chowdhury from Dhaka district, Rafiqul Alam Majnu from Dhaka City South, Shawkat Hossain Sarker from Gazipur, Abdul Monayem Munna from Jubo Dal, Hasan Zakir Tuhin from Krishak Dal, Rajib Ahsan from Swechchhasebak Dal, Sultana Ahmed from Mohila Dal, Anwar Hossain from Sramik Dal, Sadeq Khan from Muktijoddha Dal, Abul Kalam Azad from Tati Dal, Helal Khan from JASAS , Abdur Rahim from Matsajibi Dal and Rakibul Islam Rakib from Chhatra Dal also spoke.
