National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Md. Nahid Islam has said that no government in the country's history has become "so unpopular in such a short time, in just two months".
He made the remarks on Saturday while addressing the July Martyrs' Family and July Fighters' National Rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, held with demands for the implementation of the July Charter in light of the referendum.
He said, "I don't know, those who are elders can say, whether any government in the country's history has become so unpopular in such a short time. We don't know what will happen to them in the next six months."
Reiterating the party's position on political stability, Nahid Islam stated, "We don't want any instability. Our demand is only one, to implement the July Charter in light of the referendum, to honour the July mass uprising and to honour the martyrs' family. We are on the streets and in parliament for that. We will achieve this demand unitedly."
He further said that Bangladesh had aspired to political change through the July Uprising, and that people committed to democratic values had pledged that authoritarian rule would not be allowed to return. According to him, this commitment had led to the initiation of ongoing reform processes in the country.
In his remarks, Nahid Islam alleged that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has been obstructing reforms at various stages. He said that although the party later joined the consensus commission, it continued to express disagreement with key reform proposals through notes of dissent.
Referring to the issue of the referendum, he said that although the BNP had initially agreed to the process, it later began to reject it following the election. He added, "BNP, which was born through the referendum, is denying the referendum after the mass uprising. Through this, BNP has basically started denying its very existence."
Warning of political consequences, the NCP convener said, "We want to make it very clear that BNP is re-politicising every institution in Bangladesh, through which BNP is taking Bangladesh forward on the path of the Awami League." He further added, "If BNP wants to take this country forward on the path of the Awami League, on the path of old dictatorship, then the people of Bangladesh will once again stand up against it. The young people of this country will once again stand up against it. The students and the masses who participated in the July Uprising will be forced to stand on the streets again."
He also criticised the government's economic management, alleging that it was attempting to mislead the public through distribution programmes such as family cards and farmer cards. He said these initiatives had failed to address underlying economic pressures.
Referring to fuel supply concerns, Nahid Islam said that despite visible shortages, government representatives in parliament had denied the existence of any fuel crisis. He also accused the authorities of ignoring broader economic difficulties and the gradual deterioration of law and order.
He added that his party had been prepared to extend cooperation to the government in the interest of the country and its people, but claimed that the government was "closing all doors for cooperation"
