Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has strongly condemned and rejected the comment that the party “came to power through engineering.” The comment was made by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman.
Mirza Fakhrul made this reaction at a press conference following a joint meeting at the party’s central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka, on Saturday (April 25).
Addressing Jamaat, he said, “Everyone must be vigilant about whether there is any attempt to push the country towards a different form of autocracy again.” Referring to past history, he stated, “The countrymen have consciously rejected them, and in the future, we must work to politically eradicate them completely.”
Describing the Jamaat Ameer’s statement as an attempt to create division and confusion, the BNP Secretary General said that after more than a decade and a half, the people’s opinion was reflected through a free and fair election, which is recognized both domestically and internationally.
He claimed that after 18 years of “fascist rule” and the subsequent student-mass uprising, BNP formed the government by winning 213 seats in the election held under an interim government. He also mentioned that domestic and international observers and the international community praised this election.
Mirza Fakhrul commented that questioning such an election is not only undesirable but also contrary to healthy political practice.
He further stated that a particular group is trying to destroy the opportunity created to institutionalize democracy after August 5th by spreading confusion. The countrymen must consider whether such activities could push the country towards autocracy again.
Also present at the press conference were BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haq, Chief Coordinator of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, and Juba Dal General Secretary Nurul Islam Nayon MP, among others.