Tarique says 'covert, autocratic forces' get together again

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today (1 October) alleged that "covert and autocratic forces" have again got together as they had done at different points in the past, urging people to remain alert to them.

He said they do politics only for their own interests and have no programmes unlike BNP for changing people's lives.

"Only a few days after the authoritarian regime fled, members of the covert force said they had no objection if the former rulers returned and engaged in politics," the prime minister said.

"How could they have an objection? They have always been together," he said, alleging that they had worked together behind the scenes in 1991, in 1986 and during the latest elections. "That is why they are called covert."

Tarique Rahman was speaking at an event for distributing Family Cards, Farmers' Cards and honorariums to imams, muezzins, khadims and people working at places of worship of other religions at Fulgazi Government Pilot High School ground in the afternoon.

He said BNP leaders and activists faced persecution, imprisonment and repression over the past 17 years and were implicated in what he described as fabricated cases.

The Prime Minister asked whether members of the other political force faced similar treatment, urging people to remain alert to the "covert force", authoritarian politics and those who are enemies of democracy and engage in politics only for themselves.

He also warned that if they get the responsibility of running the country, they will do whatever they may, but they will not adopt any programme for the people.

Tarique Rahman said if such political forces had any programme for the people, they could present it before the public. "To this day, they have not been able to present to the people any programme that will benefit them," he said.

He said some people have been trying to create anarchy in the country in recent days. "Have you noticed this? What do they say 'one-point, one-point'? Have you not heard this?" he asked, drawing an affirmative response.

The prime minister then asked whether those who were chanting "one-point", or those who had fled the country and against whom people had demonstrated, who had taken away people's right to speak and right to vote, had Family Card, canal excavation, tree plantation or Farmers' Card programmes.

He also asked whether those parties had programmes to provide honorariums to imams and muezzins or to turn 50-bed upazila health complexes into 150-bed facilities, again receiving negative responses.

The prime minister said no programmes had been seen during the previous authoritarian period regarding people's problems, education, healthcare, farmers' facilities or benefits for mothers and sisters.

Tarique Rahman alleged that the previous regime had taken away people's voices and voting rights and said hundreds of thousands of political activists in Feni had been subjected to persecution during that period.

He said people had eventually taken to the streets on August 5, 2024, forcing the authoritarian regime to flee.

The prime minister said BNP and its government have proved through their work that they serve the people by implementing programmes aimed at improving their lives.

"We, BNP and the BNP government, have proved through our work that we work for the people. We have proved through implementing our programmes that when BNP says something, it tries and works to implement it," he said.

Referring to such initiatives, Tarique Rahman said BNP always adopts programmes that benefit people.

 "This proves that only when there is democracy in the country and only when a government is compelled to remain accountable to the people can the fortunes of the people change. And changing the fortunes of the people means changing the fortunes of the country," he said.

The prime minister urged people to take the country forward and led them in the slogan: "We will work, build the country, Bangladesh first."

Calling on everyone to build Bangladesh together, he said the country's 40 crore hands should be transformed into the hands of workers. "The responsibility of building this country belongs to all of us. Let us begin the work of building the country today," he said.

Tarique Rahman urged people not to be misled and to give an appropriate response to those who sought to mislead them.

Responding to the demand from the local youth for a medical college, he assured that such a college will be established, underscoring the need for continuing the democratic process for implementing such programmes. "If we can continue the democratic process, then all these programmes that you saw before your eyes today, including the demand for a medical college raised by our young people here, can be implemented," he said.