Opposition Chief Whip and NCP Convener Nahid Islam said the BNP, after coming to power, is depriving people of their rights and destroying democracy.
He said this while speaking at the inaugural rally of the Dhaka to Rangpur long march on Manik Mia Avenue in the capital on Saturday morning.
Nahid further said, “Will he (Prime Minister Tarique Rahman) flee the country by helicopter, or will he resign with dignity? That is the decision he must make. Even Ershad resigned with dignity. Tarique Rahman must choose his own path of departure.”
At the rally, the NCP convener raised questions about various laws and institutional activities of the current government. He also said that in the latest session of parliament, the government passed laws related to enforced disappearances and human rights and renamed RAB as SRB.
While the government’s responsibility is to protect human rights, the present administration is creating a situation of rights violations, he alleged.
The government has begun using the same laws and institutions that were employed during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure to deprive citizens of their rights, he said adding that although the government has changed, the expected change regarding people’s rights and democracy has not come.
Claiming that there was a massive public turnout around the long march towards Rangpur, Nahid alleged that banners and festoons of the 11‑party alliance were being torn down along the route. He said incidents of removal had been occurring since Friday night, with BNP activists as well as city corporation staff involved.
“Tearing down banners and festoons cannot halt the programme of the 11‑party alliance,” he said.
Nahid noted that the scope of opposition demands is steadily expanding. He said that the various demands raised through the long march and movement would ultimately converge into a single demand. In this context, he urged leaders and activists of the Jamaat-led alliance to remain prepared for the next programme.
The rally was chaired and concluded with remarks by Opposition Leader and Jamaat‑e‑Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman. The event was conducted by Jamaat’s Dhaka North Secretary Rezaul Karim and Dhaka South Secretary Shafiqul Islam Masud.
Speakers included Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Amir Maulana Mamunul Haque, Jamaat Dhaka South Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul, central executive member Saiful Alam Khan (Milon), AB Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Manju, and Bangladesh Development Party chairman Anwarul Islam.
