Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has declared that a movement has begun in the country and must be led towards success gradually, while warning the government that it will not survive by taking a stand against the spirit of July.
Speaking at a national seminar titled “Government Against the Referendum Verdict: Country Faces Crisis” organised by the 11-party alliance at the Diploma Engineers Institute auditorium on Monday, the opposition leader criticised the government’s dual policy on the referendum.
“Once the referendum was haram, another time it is half-halal. We have said this in parliament. Attempts were made to suppress our voices, but we continued at the same pace. We have not silenced our voices,” he said.
Shafiqur Rahman reiterated that he and his party did not enter parliament to avail various benefits, stating, “There are many benefits that we will not take voluntarily. We will only take those that we cannot avoid. Our eyes and hands will not go towards anything illegal.”
Describing the current parliament as a “July product,” he said, “If there is no July, we do not exist. We exist because July exists; the government and the opposition exist because July exists. The government will not survive by taking a stand against this July. The aspirations of this July will be realised through the referendum verdict. If necessary, we will sacrifice our lives again.”
The Jamaat ameer noted that among nearly 1,400 martyrs of the mass uprising, 62 percent were workers. “Did they come out against quota disparities? Our youth and student community came out against quota disparities. Workers came out against fascism; they came out with the aspiration for change,” he said.
He also recalled a meeting with July martyrs’ families and fighters on Sunday, quoting the opposition chief whip as saying, “You will find us at the forefront of the coming movement.”
“This movement is not an opportunistic movement, nor is it a division of power. This movement is to honour the verdict of 70 percent of the people, to fulfil the promise made with the blood of the martyrs, and to realise the aspirations of the July fighters,” Shafiqur Rahman added.
The seminar was chaired by Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque and was attended by Opposition Chief Whip and NCP Convener Nahid Islam, LDP Chairman Oli Ahmad, and others.
