BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, on Monday, drew parallels between BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s vision and Martin Luther King, Jr’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, stating, “Tarique Rahman has a dream. We will advance and succeed with this dream.”
Speaking as chief guest during a discussion titled “Anti-Fascist Movement and My Untold Stories” organised by Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal at the Engineers Institution, Bangladesh (IEB) venue in Ramna, he added, “Whenever the country faces destruction, the responsibility of reconstruction falls on BNP. We’ve struggled for 17 years under Khaleda Zia’s leadership and nearly eight years under Tarique Rahman’s guidance to bring this movement to its culmination.”
Fakhrul warned of ongoing conspiracies to prevent proper democratic establishment in Bangladesh, urging political parties: “Let’s stop mudslinging. We’ve got an opportunity to rebuild democracy and economic prosperity together.”
BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas alleged that certain retired military officers were conspiring to postpone elections, asserting, “No conspiracy can deter BNP from securing voting rights after 17 years of public struggle.”
The event, chaired by Jubo Dal President Abdul Momen Munnah and moderated by General Secretary Nurul Islam Nayan, featured speeches from human rights activists, physicians who treated uprising victims, and family members of martyrs including Mosleh Uddin’s son Apon and Yahya Ali’s daughter Taiba Khatun.
Marking the July uprising anniversary, Jubo Dal honored 78 martyr families with memorials, gifts and financial aid at the IEB premises. The organisation also arranged art competitions for 1,500 children from 10 Dhaka art schools, awarding certificates and gifts to the top 50 participants.