Women won't be locked inside home, will ensure safe society, workplaces: Shafiqur
"We do not have the money to buy so many locks to keep women locked inside their homes," says the Jamaat chief.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has said his party will ensure a safe society and workplace for women, rejecting the idea of confining them to their homes.
"We do not have the money to buy so many locks to keep women locked inside their homes. We will ensure a safe society and workplace for women," he said while addressing a public rally in Kushtia today (26 January).
"Separate bus services will be launched in big cities so that women can travel safely," he further said.
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At the event organised by the party's Kushtia district unit as part of the electoral campaign of the Jamaat-led 10-party alliance, Shafiqur outlined Jamaat's positions on law, governance, and social issues.
He also said the young generation and women would not return to what he described as "old, rotten politics".
Turning to law and order, the Jamaat ameer said his party has taken a strict position against filing false cases, extortion and illegal occupation, warning that such practices are causing suffering to ordinary people.
"After 5 August, we have not filed a single case against anyone unjustly. In the eight cases filed by us, only one person has been made an accused in each, because we did not find a second guilty person," he said.
He alleged that others have filed cases indiscriminately, leading to what he described as extortion through case-filing business.
"Some people have started a dialogue by filing thousands of cases. Names have been included, and now bribes are required to remove those names; this is how case-trading has begun," he said.
Shafiqur also alleged that extortion and illegal occupation are taking place in various areas.
Referring to Kushtia, he expressed anger over reports of illegal toll collection from rice mills and freight trucks.
"We know the news of tolls on rice trucks per hundred, and taking Tk5,000 per truck. A game of occupying various stands is ongoing," he said.
Addressing those allegedly involved, he added, "Those who are doing these things, come back. People hate you and curse you."
Stressing the need to eliminate extortion and syndicates to control commodity prices and increase the purchasing power of ordinary people, he said, "We will not push the extortionists away from our hearts; rather, we will draw them to our chests and involve them in some good work."
Making an appeal to those involved in extortion, he said, "If you are truly doing these things due to the want and poverty of your family, then move away from this. We are willing to share with you the sustenance that Allah has given us. Even so, do not cause suffering to the people, do not engage in extortion."
At the beginning of his speech, the Jamaat ameer paid tribute to those killed during the 2024 July Uprising.
"This uprising has proved that the youth of this country do not fear anyone except Allah. The rulers removed Fahad and Hadi, but today, thousands of revolutionaries have been created through their blood," he said.
He also referred to families affected by enforced disappearances over the past 17 years, describing them as the most oppressed.
"A nation that cannot respect mothers becomes humiliated worldwide. We want to build such a Bangladesh where dignified work will be handed over to everyone," he said.
Shafiqur Rahman said changes would come to all sectors if Jamaat comes to power, adding that a government formed by the 11-party alliance would restart the Kushtia Sugar Mill.
He further said that if Jamaat comes to power through the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the same justice would be ensured for everyone, "from the president to the beggar".
Raising concerns over river protection, he said, "Padma and Gorai are no longer rivers; they are deserts. The money meant for saving these rivers was taken in through the mouth and sent to the stomach."
At the public meeting, Chhatra Shibir Central General Secretary Sibgatullah, Kushtia-3 (Sadar) candidate Amir Hamza, Kushtia-1 (Daulatpur) candidate Belal Uddin, Kushtia-2 candidate Abdul Gafur, Kushtia-4 candidate Afzal Hossain, and Kushtia district Jamaat Secretary Suja Uddin Ahmed, among others, also addressed the gathering.
Through the Kushtia programme, Shafiqur formally began his election campaigning in the south-western region.
After the Kushtia meeting, he is scheduled to take part in election rallies in Meherpur at 12 noon, at another venue at 4:30pm, and in Jhenaidah at 6pm
