Pointing at ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Thursday (15 August) said history is very cruel as the Great Almighty Allah showed power isn't permanent rather temporary.
He said this while addressing as the chief guest a sit-in programme organized demanding trial of autocrat Sheikh Hasina and her cohorts and resisting their anarchy in front of BNP's Nayapaltan central office in the capital.
Thursday was the last day of the two-day sit-in programme.
Mirza Fakhrul said killer Sheikh Hasina, who resigned from the position of prime minister and fled the country amid massive mass-upsurge of the student-people, ran steamroller on BNP's leaders and activists for the 15 years and lunched inhumane torture on members of different religions.
"False cases were lodged against our 60 lakh leaders and workers. Hundreds of leaders and workers were abducted. Before the 2024 elections, 28,000 leaders and workers were taken to jail in just two days," he said.
So many leaders and workers of BNP sacrificed their lives to restore the country's democracy which is rare in the history, he said, adding many mothers lost their sons and sisters lost their brothers.
Noting the killing of Abu Sayeed, a student of English Department at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, the BNP secretary general said Abu Sayeed, who came from a poor family, used to meet his study cost through private tuition.
Reciting from the Holy Quran, Mirza Fakhrul quoted from Almighty Allah's message, "I can make you beggar. I can make one rich from beggar. I can make alive as dead and dead as alive."
"Hasina denied this message of Almighty Allah. She crossed the limit. Arrogance! What the arrogance it was! What's the order of Allah that she had to flee," he said.
"Now a new game centering minority community has begun again. But none is minority in this country," he said.
Mirza Fakhrul said they (Awami League) are hatching conspiracy again to return to power by doing something with the support of India.
He called for foiling their all sorts of conspiracies.
Pointing at the Awami League (AL) leaders and workers, he said: "You witnessed 1969, 1971 and 2024 and saw how the country's people can wake up. It will be better you should surrender voluntarily. Those who are out and hatching plot should return to right path otherwise you must face the music."
Mentioning the consequence of former law minister Anisul Huq and ousted prime minister's adviser Salman F Rahman, the BNP secretary general said they should be tried in the International Crimes Tribunal as they committed offences and lunched massacre.
Those who looted wealth, tortured and killed people must be brought to book, he said.
Noting that the interim government is the outcome of their movement, Mirza Fakhrul said all should unitedly cooperate with the government as long as it stays on the path of democracy.
He hoped that the current government, of course, will hand over the state power through holding elections for establishing democracy.
Those public servants acted as the cohorts of the autocratic government, they must be found out and those identified terrorists worked for the autocrat staying in government must be arrested for bringing them to book, he said.
Doa was offered in memory of those who embraced martyrdom in the anti-discrimination movement and for establishing democracy on the occasion.
BNP Standing Committee Members Mirza Abbas and Begum Selima Rahman, Vice-Chairman Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon, Chairperson's Adviser Abdus Salam, Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon, Dhaka South City Unit of BNP Convener Rafiqul Alam Majnu, Swechchhasebak Dal President SM Zilani, Jubo Dal General Secretary Nurul Islam Nayan and Krishak Dal General Secretary Shahidul Islam Babul also spoke, among others.
