Senior leaders of the ruling BNP on Friday praised workers as the backbone of country’s economy and urged stronger grassroots mobilisation, as thousands gathered in Nayapaltan for a May Day rally despite heavy rain in the capital.
Addressing the event organised by the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, BNP Standing Committee member and Narsingdi 2 lawmaker Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan described workers as the true builders of the nation.
“Teachers are called the architects of human development, and workers are the artisans of nation building,” he told the crowd assembled in front of the party’s central office. He said labourers power industry, drive production and play a central role in expanding the country’s gross domestic product.
Recalling BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman’s emphasis on what he termed the “politics of production,” Moyeen Khan said economic growth ultimately rests on the efforts of workers.
He also praised Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, citing his years of political struggle abroad and saying his leadership had helped bring about political change.
According to Moyeen Khan, Rahman’s vision for a “new Bangladesh” would help restore the country’s international standing. He reaffirmed the party’s commitment to grassroots politics, saying the future of Bangladesh’s political landscape lies with ordinary citizens.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, who also serves as political adviser to the Prime Minister, said the government’s first two months in office had generated positive public sentiment. He pointed to steps taken to address the fuel shortage, claiming that long queues at petrol stations had disappeared.
Rizvi said the administration had moved quickly to respond to recent flash floods in Sunamganj and Baliadangi, adding that affected farmers would receive compensation within three months. He described the response as evidence of the government’s efficiency.
Turning to labour rights, Rizvi noted that while minimum wage concepts were introduced in Europe more than a century ago, Bangladesh still lacks a national minimum wage framework. He expressed concern that workers remain deprived of this protection and criticised the large number of legal cases filed against labourers, questioning how they could manage court battles while earning a livelihood.
He also called for a national policy to reopen closed industrial units, arguing that unused assets in those factories could generate employment for millions. Rizvi accused the previous administration of shutting down several power plants as part of what he described as a planned move that harmed the energy sector.
BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan used the occasion to urge party activists to expand the organisation’s base. He called on each attendee to recruit at least two new BNP members within the next year, saying such an effort would significantly strengthen the party.
“If every one of you brings two new members, our strength will multiply, and no force will be able to stand against us,” he said.
Nazrul paid tribute to workers who sacrificed their lives in labour movements at home and abroad and honoured BNP founder Ziaur Rahman for upholding the dignity of labour.
He credited former prime minister Khaleda Zia with enacting the Labour Code and establishing the Labour Foundation, and said Tarique Rahman had consistently prioritised workers’ welfare in the party’s manifesto.
While acknowledging that the government has been in office for only two months, Nazrul expressed optimism that the condition of workers would improve as electoral commitments are implemented.
The rally began around 2:30 pm with Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal President Anwar Hossain in the chair. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
