The ruling BNP’s activities reflect the ‘fascist’ rule of the past, has alleged, opposition leader in the National Parliament and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. He said that despite having the experience of being a victim of repression for a long time, BNP is now walking on the path of suppressing opposition views, appointing party people to important neutral positions and using propaganda and pressure against political opponents.

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman made these remarks as the chief guest at a discussion titled ‘Jaan Dev, Juli Dev Na’ organized by the Bangladesh Labor Party at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club in the capital on Sunday (August 2).

National Citizens Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col. (retd) Oli Ahmed and Labor Party Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran also spoke at the event.

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said that during the Awami League government, the leaders and activists of opposition political parties including BNP and Jamaat were subjected to oppression for 17 and a half years. Instead of learning from that experience, he alleged that BNP is now following the same political culture. He claimed that just as conspiracies, propaganda and force were used to suppress opposition views in the past, the same trend is being seen today.

He said that the top leadership of BNP should accept criticism positively. Otherwise, flatterers will be the cause of the party’s loss. He called on the government to accept the verdict of the referendum given by the people and said that if the issue is not resolved in parliament, the demands will be met through a movement on the streets.

Regarding the referendum, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said that even though two elections were held, the verdict given by the people was not given due importance. He claimed that even after the people voted ‘yes’ in the referendum, the public opinion was not reflected, which is tantamount to disrespect for the will of the people. He said that one of the two reasons for the Bangladesh Liberation War was discrimination and the denial of the people’s right to vote. He called for learning from that history.

Jamaat Amir also raised questions about Md. Shamsul Alam, who was appointed as additional secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat on a contractual basis. He said that NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari has already claimed that Shamsul Alam was an active worker of BNP. He commented that giving such a person responsibility in a neutral institution like the Election Commission may raise questions in the public mind about future elections.

In this context, he sarcastically said that now it is not necessary to pass the BCS exam to become a secretary, it is enough to have a party position. If important posts in the administration are appointed based on party identity, there is a risk of compromising the impartiality of state institutions.

While addressing the meeting, LDP President Col. (retd.) Oli Ahmed also called on the BNP leadership to be vigilant. He claimed that agents of various foreign intelligence agencies are roaming around the party and they are giving misleading advice. He called for giving importance to the public demands of the people of the country, ignoring these suggestions.