DHAKA — National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam said the current BNP government has become the main obstacle to reforming Bangladesh and that change will only come through a mass movement.
“Two years after the popular uprising, we all remain united in the conviction that Bangladesh must be transformed through reform,” Islam said. “The main barrier on this path of change is the current BNP government.”
He spoke Tuesday at a meeting with families of July martyrs and July fighters at the Diploma Engineers Institution auditorium in Dhaka’s Kakrail, organized by the 11-party alliance.
Islam said the government would never carry out reforms. “We had wanted all issues to be resolved in parliament. But parliament has been made to fail. Now we must prepare for a mass movement. Without a mass movement, the government will not implement reforms. This time we must take to the streets according to plan. This time we do not want to fail or be only half-successful.”
“Reform is not the property of any party. It is the demand to save Bangladesh,” he said. “We are united. Those of us sitting on the stage will stand at the front. If bullets come, they will hit our chests first. You will support us. God willing, a new Bangladesh will be established. Reforms will be implemented. If the BNP or any foreign power tries to block this, they will be defeated.”
Islam accused the government of exploiting martyrs’ families. “The July martyrs and the wounded are this country’s treasure. We do not want to do politics with them. If you support our demands, you will help us. But the government keeps using the names of the July fighters and of 1971 to legitimize its actions, while embracing neither 1971 nor 2024.”
He said Bangladesh has been moving backward since the BNP formed the government. “The BNP has reaped the benefits of this country’s mass movements. They reaped the benefits of the 1990 popular uprising. But once in power, they threw out the three-alliance framework. They are still rejecting the July charter and the ordinance.”
Senior leaders of the 11-party alliance attended the program.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report