Tariq Rahman ordered party leaders and activists at all levels to stand with the people by reminding them that “the upcoming elections are not easy for the BNP, the people are important.” He said: “I have been saying over the past few months that the upcoming elections are not as easy as you think. No matter how much you brag in your mind, BNP has branches as far as the village…what about the others? So you’re bragging… No. “Maybe you have branches… Our leaders and activists created these branches… They took the party to the village, and they took the party to the ward.”
On Sunday (January 19), acting Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Tariq Rahman, made the call from London. This discussion meeting was held on the occasion of the 89th birth anniversary of BNP Bank founder Ziaur Rahman at Ramnar Institute of Engineers Hall.
Senior leaders, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, laid wreaths at Zia’s grave in Sharbangla in the morning.
Tariq Rahman also said: “But people still matter, people matter.” The people are our strength, the people are our support, the people are our strength. If the people are not with us… the people made it clear on August 5. So, if we make a mistake, people will explain something again… but then we have to pay attention. But then we have to hurry,” the acting BNP chief said.
Addressing the activists, Tariq Al-Rahman said in a firm voice: “There is still time… Come, come, we stand with the people, we stand with the people.”
He said: Whoever does something that harms you, harms my party, harms our party… we protest against him, we protest against him. Today, on the 89th birth anniversary of Shaheed Zia, if we really have to remember Shaheed Zia, if we really have to respect Shaheed Zia… Today I pray for Deshatri Begum Khaleda Zia – for health. But the leader of the country will be very happy when he sees that the people have extended support to the BNP… This matter should be told to you as a soldier of Khaleda Zia…’
“Who are the junior leaders, who are the village leaders, who are the union leaders, who are the senior leaders, who are the district leaders, who are the central leaders is not the issue,” he said. The point is that we have to be united, and we have to stand against injustice.
We have to stand in a way that makes people understand that we are with them, and people understand that we are on their side. People understand that we are what the people want, and we exist… We stand with the people as they expect…. Today, on the 89th birth anniversary of martyred President Ziaur Rahman, this is our oath, this is our pledge today.
Tariq Rahman said: “Wherever it is determined at every stage of state government… whether it is the national parliament, whether it is the municipal council, whether it is the union council, whatever, that is, accountability… the vote is the only one, the voter. Only.. If we can create accountability at all levels of society in an accountable state, we will gradually be able to move forward.
Highlighting the 17 years of torture and imprisonment of BNP leaders and activists, Tariq Rahman said: “We know that on average, there are 60,000 BNP leaders and activists with many cases of false disappearance.” Only in July and August, about 500 BNP activists were martyred in the People’s Movement. Hundreds of thousands of activists were injured in various ways. We are the leaders and workers of the BNP who were tortured, were they tortured and tortured, those in the motorcycle fleet? Of course not.
“As human beings, we may be confused, but in the situation in which we have reached where we stand today – colleagues, I humbly request you… not only in this discussion, but all the workers and soldiers of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh In its entirety, I humbly request you, please do not allow motorcyclists to crowd…. Please remember the funeral photo of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman and please refrain from doing misleading things.
“Everyone says that if there are neutral elections, many negotiators also say that those who do not support the BNP… If there are fair and honest regular elections in the country, the BNP has the highest probability,” Tariq Rahman said. Forming the government. I would like to ask you a question, if a situation arises where bikers are protecting their own interests or some of our leaders are confused, someone else forms the government. Do you think you can live well after that? Can BNP leaders and activists live a good life?
At this point the workers in the Rumner Institute of Engineers auditorium chanted “No.”
We don’t know who will leave and what will come. But that wouldn’t be good for either of us. For some reason, if someone else forms the government, as a political activist, you have to have a lot of thought and sense, if someone else forms the government, whether it is in the context of Bangladesh politics, whether it is in the context of international politics, will it be good for the country and the nation?
The activists said again: “No.”
Tariq Rahman said: I want to firmly believe that you said no firmly, you said it with understanding. If you don’t understand, you’re right. So, if it’s right, we still have time to stand up for the people, and we still have time to move forward the way the people want. Ultimately, as a political activist, you have to go to this people, to this person, to this voter.
“Two days ago I was watching a man’s talk show…the speaker was talking about how he still can’t get over the fact that the dictatorship is over and they’re trying to reassert themselves. They can do it. But if they go to the polls how will they show up to the people… They killed 2,000 people and injured about 30,000 people, according to UNICEF, about 64 children this month, from July to August… But the answer to them must be given to the people.
Pointing out that BNP leaders and workers also have to answer to the people, Tariq said: “If any of us does anything to bring us that day, you have to answer too… When you go to the people at polling time, then I have to answer.” … no!’
“At that time, if he says, ‘This man came and treated me this way or treated me this way, then he is a member of your party…’ Then say: ‘He is not of me.’ Will that person accept it? He will not accept it. We have clear examples that when the people get angry, the people force tyranny to flee. These trends are still bright. At the end of the day people are everything we are all trying to get people’s support, to get support we should try to get, why should you close your eyes to injustice?
Tariq Al-Rahman said: No matter how big my thinking is, if people turn their backs, I will not name some political forces, no matter how big or small they are, because they are against us in various ways. Some involve our leaders in action, others try to talk things out. We have to be vigilant and strong about this….
Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir chaired the discussion session, Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tukur, Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and Standing Committee members Khandker Musharraf Hussain, Abdul Moeen Khan, Amir Khusro Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed , Salima Rahman, Hafizuddin Ahmed, Vice Chairman Ahmed Azam Khan, Chairman of the Advisory Board Member Amanullah Aman, Joint Secretary General Shahiduddin Chowdhury Ani, and conference organizer spoke. BNP South Metropolitan Rafiq Alam Majnu, Northern Congress convener Aminul Haque, Dal Youth Secretary General Nurul Islam Nyan, and Dal Rakibul Students President Islam Rakib.
Besides, poet Abdul Hai Shikdar, Vice Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Professor Kamrul Ahsan, and Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Mamoon Ahmed spoke at the discussion meeting.