BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday alleged that the Awami League government has never fulfilled the promises made in Bangladesh’s independence manifesto.
“The Awami League government has never fulfilled any of our commitments that were made in the manifesto of the Liberation War. Instead, this party had introduced one-party Baksal rule banning newspapers and snatching people’s rights,” he said.
Speaking at the discussion, he also said Awami League has now introduced the one-party rule under a different cover.
As part of the party’s programme to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Independence, BNP arranged the discussion at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the ‘Liberation War’s Manifesto Announcement Day’.
Shajahan Siraj, one of the key organisers of Liberation War, read out the manifesto of Bangladesh's independence on March 3, 1971.
Fakhrul called upon all the democratic political parties and institutions and patriotic forces to get united to wage another war to implement the Liberation War’s manifesto and spirit by establishing a democratic governing system and restoring people’s lost rights.
“We don’t want to be slaves and subservient to anyone. We want to restore our rights. We want to turn Bangladesh into a safe place for our future generation where they can live in the open air. Let’s all unite for that goal and remove the current monstrous regime,” he said.
Fakhrul bemoaned that Awami League does not remember many oragnaisresr of the Liberation War like Shahjahan Siraj and ASM Abdur Rob who took the movement for the Liberation War forward amid serious repressive acts.
He said their party has brought the neglected organisers of the Liberation War to the forefront in celebrating the Golden Jubilee of independence as they do not want to distort history. "We want to give everyone the due hounour and place they deserve.”
The BNP leader said the Liberation War’s manifest highlighted establishing pure democracy and freedom of expression and press, but these things are missing in the rule of the current Awami league government. “Inequality has now widened seriously while freedom of speech and freedom of writing have been snatched."
He said the ruling party talks about the wave of development in the country, but common people are struggling to survive. “Some people backed by Awami League are looting thousands of crores of taka from different banks. Another group of people is in extreme despair losing their jobs and failing to manage daily meals. This is their (Awami League) Bangladesh.”
Fakhrul said people now cannot freely express their opinions in fear of reprisal. "Writer Mushtaq Ahmed had been picked up from his house just for writing an article criticising the government for arresting cartoonist Kishore. He had been kept in prison for six months without bail.”
He said Mushtaq Ahmed is not alone as around 700 more people have been picked up and kept in jail only for crticising the government.
The BNP leader said the government is also brutally repressing the opposition leaders and activists using the enforcers to cling to power.
