News Flash
DHAKA, Aug 5, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has urged the countrymen to be respectful to each other.
He made the call in a video message on the occasion of the first anniversary of the mass uprising today on virtual platform.
“In my congratulatory message to the brave people on August 5, 2024, immediately after the most hated fascist in the history of Bangladesh fled, I had said that the joy of victory is glorious when the defeated are safe with the winner,” he said.
“Reminding that again, I appeal to the democracy loving people of the country, no one should take the law into their own hands. Do not encourage mob violence. Do not behave violently towards women. Be respectful to freedom of others,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said, “We want to build a Bangladesh like Bangladesh in the eyes of a mother, where every child, every person, regardless of party, religion, caste, belief, or skeptic, will be safe”.
The BNP acting chairman said, “Let today and every future 5th August become a day of commitment to establish democracy, good governance, and become humane people.”
“In the long journey of implementing this great commitment, my party BNP and I expect the support and cooperation of all the democracy-loving people of the country,” he said.
He said exactly one year ago today, on this day in 2024, the fascists fled Bangladesh. “It is a day of joy for the freedom and democracy loving people. It is a day of victory,” he added.
Criticizing the Awami League, Tarique Rahman said the fugitive dictatorship established a terrifying reign in this 21st century Bangladesh.
Enforced disappearances, murders, kidnappings, attacks, lawsuits, torture and oppression turned into common and normal phenomenon, he said.
He alleged hundreds of secret prisons, 'Ayna Ghar' were built in the country at the orders of the fugitive dictator to silence the voices of people who wanted democracy.
“In the dark cells of those mirror houses, people were kept in captivity day after day, night after night, year after year. Many have disappeared forever. Former BNP MP Ilias Ali or Commissioner Chowdhury Alam have not been found yet,” he noted.
The BNP acting chairman said the country's economy was devastated, banks were bankrupted, Taka 2.8 lakh crore was laundered from the country, injustice, irregularities, lawlessness, looting became a daily occurrence and individualism was established in the country.'
He said 1971 was a war to achieve independence and 2024 was a war to protect independence.
Bangladesh has not forgotten the martyred freedom fighters of 1971 and the country will not forget the martyrs of the 2024 mass uprising either, he said.
Tarique Rahman said the first and political initiative to establish a democratic Bangladesh is to establish a state and government that is accountable to the people through direct vote of the people.
The current interim government is working to establish a government that is accountable to the people, he added.
He said no other regime can be compared to the fascist regime of the past one and a half decades except the three and a half years after independence.
He said just as no one takes pride in Hitler's Nazism, there is nothing to take pride in the reign of the fugitive fascist.
Tarique Rahman said just as a robber is not acceptable in the eyes of the people even if he donates some wealth by robbing, similarly, it is not acceptable to strategically defend the fugitive fascist while looking for the failures of the interim government.
“I would like to remind those who want to strategically compare the current interim government with the fascist regime, what happened in Bangladesh on August 5 seems unprecedented not only in Bangladesh but also in the history of the world,” he said.
He also said the fascist fled from Ganabhaban on August 5 while MPs fled from the parliament building, the Chief Justice fled from the court, the Chief Khatib fled from Baitul Mukarram, the ministers fled from the cabinet, the fascist's accomplices went into hiding.
However, the worrying thing is that this fugitive fascist group still has no regret, he added.
Tarique Rahman said an unprecedented national unity against fascism has been formed on the streets that are soaked in the blood of thousands of martyrs.
Fascism will never again be established in Bangladesh, no one will be given the opportunity to kill democracy, and Bangladesh will never be allowed to become a subservient state, he said.
“I think national unity on these issues is and will remain intact,” he said.
He mentioned in a fascism-free Bangladesh, there will be issue-based differences among political parties in implementing their party ideology and goals.
“This is not a conflict but a difference of opinion. This is the beauty of democracy,” he said.
He called upon every political party and democratic people to be vigilant so that the level of disagreement or conflict does not become a reason for the rise or rehabilitation of fascism, radicalism, extremism.
Tarique Rahman hoped every political party will go to the people’s court with its own party programme or agenda.
It is entirely the people’s prerogative to accept or reject which one the people will accept or reject, he said, adding in this way, the people in the state should be strengthened through daily political practice.
The BNP acting chairman said people will not be empowered in state and the government as long as they can’t directly elect their representatives by exercising their votes to form the government at every level, from the local government to the Jatiya Sangsad.
"So let's empower the people by creating opportunities for the people to exercise their democratic political rights in the state, government, governance, administration and daily activities. If we cannot empower the people, nothing will be strong and sustainable in the end," said Tarique Rahman.
