Who will hail her? asks Rizvi 

BNP Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has questioned who would welcome Sheikh Hasina if she returned to Bangladesh, asking whether the families of those killed during the July 2024 uprising would receive her.

"You wish to return, and you expect a reception? But who will provide this reception? Will it be the mother of Abu Sayed, the father of Mugdho, or the relatives of Ahnaf?" he remarked.

He made the comments at a discussion organised by the Zia Parishad at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium of the National Press Club on Monday, marking the historic November 7 National Revolution and Solidarity Day.

Referring to reports that Hasina intends to return and has applied for a passport and national identity card (NID), Rizvi questioned her expectation of a public welcome. He also alleged that she was seeking support from political figures abroad to facilitate her return.

"But will the families of those brutally murdered, those killed by helicopter gunfire or shot through windows, including children, be the ones to welcome her?" he asked.

The BNP leader maintained that the sacrifices of those killed during the uprising, including Abu Sayed and Mugdho, remained deeply embedded in public memory.

"So many young people, children, rickshaw pullers and labourers have given their lives. Has the soil truly absorbed the stains of their blood? Certainly not. Sheikh Hasina may have forgotten, but the people have forgotten nothing," he added.

Recalling BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia's imprisonment following the filing of cases against her, Rizvi noted that the then law minister and Awami League general secretary had maintained that "the courts and the law follow their own course".

"Why, then, is Sheikh Hasina now soliciting support from abroad? Surely, the courts will continue to follow their own course," he questioned.

Rizvi argued that those who commit mistakes should seek forgiveness, citing former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's apology after acknowledging the mistake of imposing a state of emergency.

"However, Sheikh Hasina has shown no remorse," he remarked, alleging that she had expressed no regret despite the enormous loss of life.

He further alleged that Hasina aspired to return and re-establish an authoritarian regime, regain power and revive repression through the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

According to Rizvi, Hasina appeared to believe that the people of Bangladesh, numbering 180 million, would accept her return if a neighbouring country sent her back. However, he maintained that the bloodshed of the uprising remained etched in public memory and that the nation had repeatedly resisted injustice and oppression.

Turning to the significance of November 7, Rizvi described its spirit as one of political awakening, the defence of people's rights and resistance to arrogance, oppression and plunder.

When democracy is absent and people fear speaking out, holding processions or organising public gatherings, the spirit of November 7 becomes a source of inspiration, he observed.

He added that the same spirit had inspired the anti-autocracy movement of 1990 and the July 2024 mass uprising, and would continue to galvanise people against any future manifestation of authoritarianism.