BNP will never compromise with AL: Nazrul

The BNP will never compromise with fascist Awami League and anyone trying to do so will be stopped, the party's Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said today (19 May).

"Awami League tortured BNP the most. It kept the party's chairperson in jail without any reason. It kept party's acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in exile. The BNP will never compromise with Awami League as long as we are alive," he said while addressing a meeting organised by the 12-party alliance at Jatiya Press Club, demanding removal of obstacles to return of Tarique Rahman. 

Khan added, "There is no leader and activist, including the secretary general, against whom a case was not been filed. Yet there is talk of BNP rehabilitating Awami. Is this possible?"

The senior BNP leader said they, alongside other political parties, have been demonstrating to restore democracy for more than 16 years.

Over a thousand people were killed in the July movement while false cases were lodged against millions of people, he said.

"The main goal of the struggle was to restore democracy. All democracy-loving people of the country, regardless of party affiliation, participated in this struggle. 

However, the people's elected government and democracy, has not been restored," he said.

Khan said in order to realise the dream of the July martyrs, an elected government must be established in the country through the exercise of the people's right to vote. 

Jatiya Party Chairman and 12-party alliance chief Mustafa Jamal Haider presided over the meeting while other leaders of the alliance also spoke.