BNP won’t compromise with fascists: Azad

NARAYANGANJ, Aug 06: BNP Joint Secretary General Abdus Salam Azad has said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has never compromised during its 17 years of political struggle and will not compromise with what he described as fascists or religious betrayers in the future. 

He made the remark while speaking at a remembrance meeting marking the July Uprising Day in Narayanganj's Fatullah on Thursday. District BNP organised the event in the New Court area of Fatullah with district BNP Convener and District Council Administrator Prof Mamun Mahmud in the chair.

Narayanganj-2 MP and BNP Dhaka Divisional Assistant Organising Secretary Nazrul Islam Azad, Narayanganj-3 MP Azaharul Islam Mannan, Narayanganj District BNP Joint Convener and Narayanganj Development Authority Chairman Masukul Islam Rajib attended the event as special guests while other party leaders also spoke on the occasion.

Salam Azad said the movement that led to the fall of the previous government was the result of years of continuous struggle.

He claimed that BNP founder and former President Ziaur Rahman had called for the country's independence and asserted that former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia should receive primary recognition for the July Uprising, saying the fall of what he termed a fascist regime came through the movement under her leadership.

Azad also alleged that around six million BNP leaders and activists had been implicated in politically motivated cases over the years, while about 7,000 had been killed or forcibly disappeared. He referred to the killing of BNP activist Shaon in Narayanganj as one such incident.

Addressing the gathering, Nazrul Islam Azad said the July Uprising was not merely a 15-day movement but the culmination of a 17-year campaign against the fascist rule of Sheikh Hasina. He claimed that the movement had been led by BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and described the July Uprising as the final phase of that long struggle.

He argued that the history of the previous 17 years of political movements should not be overshadowed by focusing solely on the July Uprising. Calling for unity, he urged political activists to avoid claiming exclusive credit for the movement and instead work together under Tarique Rahman's leadership to build a prosperous Bangladesh.

Narayanganj-3 MP Azaharul Islam Mannan alleged that many BNP leaders and activists who endured imprisonment and political persecution over the past 16 years had not received due recognition. He further claimed that individuals who became politically active after August 5 had been rewarded in exchange for money, resulting in members of BNP's student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, being assaulted by activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir.