BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has responded to an Indian minister’s remark that a conspiracy like the one that toppled the government in Bangladesh is under way in India, saying that when a country is run unjustly and illegitimately, movements, popular awakenings and uprisings follow.
“There is no need to comment on what is happening in a neighboring country,” Rizvi said. “But when Bangladesh is hinted at, then we do have something to say.”
He spoke on Saturday at a protest rally in front of the National Press Club in the capital, organized by the Jatiyatabadi Textile Engineers Association of Bangladesh (JETEBA).
The rally was held to protest what organizers described as the Awami League’s planned anarchy and conspiracies across the country, and Rizvi spoke as chief guest.
The source does not name the Indian minister or give the date or context of the remark.
Rizvi alleged that Sheikh Hasina destroyed the electoral system, rendering elections, including the so-called midnight vote, effectively meaningless.
The public lost its right to vote and to speak, he said, and Hasina entrenched misrule by placing loyalists in the judiciary and administration.
“If a country is run unjustly and illegitimately, movements, popular awakenings and uprisings arise,” he said. “The rulers who commit crimes have to flee. This is the truth.”
Hasina was not in power legitimately, Rizvi said, and clung to office by repeatedly squandering the people’s vote. That, he said, is why she had to flee the country in the student-people mass uprising.
No ruler who practices injustice and misrule is ultimately spared, he said, adding that history shows criminal rulers must flee when the people rise up on the streets.
Turning to accountability, he said: “No wrongdoing will go unpunished. Unlawful killing will never be possible in this country of mine. Justice will be done, and it will be ensured through the law and the courts.”
Rizvi said that while the country is going through multiple crises, the opposition has failed to play a constructive role and is trying to mislead the public.
To cover up their own internal feuds and failures, he alleged, opposition parties are staging a “new drama” in the name of street movements.
“Open a newspaper and all you see is their chant of ‘nai, nai’ (there is nothing, there is nothing),” he said, claiming they pay no attention to development or public welfare. He did not name any party.
Responding to criticism of the government’s Family Card, Farmer Card, Expatriate Card and Health Card programs, he said everyone has the right to criticize the government in a democratic environment.
But people should speak truthfully and fairly, he said, rather than mislead the public in the name of criticism.
Durga Puja and fuel, fertilizer
On Durga Puja, the Hindu community’s biggest festival, which has begun, Rizvi said the Prime Minister has instructed government administration and BNP leaders and activists at all levels to stay alert to ensure it is celebrated peacefully, with maximum security and religious solemnity.
BNP leaders are in constant contact with the Hindu community across the country so that devotees can celebrate without hindrance, he said.
He also said the Middle East war has disrupted fuel imports, but the government is trying to source fuel and fertilizer from alternative suppliers.
JETEBA President Engineer Md. Fakhrul Alam presided over the rally. Others who spoke included BNP central committee member Riaz Uddin Mishu; Bangladesh Nurses Association General Secretary Jahanara Siddiqua; Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Jote leader Rakibul Islam; Diploma Engineers Association General Secretary Kazi Sakhawat; Swechchhasebak Dal Vice President Dr. Zahidur Rahman; and Chhatra Dal Vice President Dr. Tawhidur Rahman Awal, along with leaders of various professional organizations.