Tarique must decide whether he will flee by helicopter or resign with dignity: Nahid 

Nahid Islam, opposition chief whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) convener, has said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman must decide whether to resign with dignity or flee the country by helicopter.

"Tarique Rahman has to decide how he will leave power. Will he flee the country by helicopter? Or will he resign from power with dignity?" Nahid said at the inaugural rally of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led opposition alliance's Dhaka–Rangpur long march on Manik Mia Avenue in the capital this morning (19 September).

"Even Ershad [Hussain Muhammad Ershad] resigned with considerable dignity. So Tarique Rahman himself has to decide which path he will take," he added.

He accused the BNP government of violating human rights and undermining democracy.

"For the past 16 years, we fought for human rights and democracy. The BNP was with us. Now that this BNP is in government, it is violating people's human rights and destroying democracy," Nahid alleged.

"Those who destroyed democracy in the past have found their place in the dustbin of history," he said.

Nahid claimed the government is creating conditions for human rights violations.

"The responsibility of this government was to protect human rights. Instead, it is creating all kinds of circumstances for violating human rights," he said.

He alleged that the government has started using the same laws and institutions through which the Sheikh Hasina regime deprived people of their rights.

Nahid said a historic wave of public support for the opposition's long march has begun across the country.

He alleged that banners and festoons of the alliance have been torn down since Thursday night (17 September) to prevent the mobilisation.

"BNP activists, along with the city corporation, have joined in. These banners and festoons are being torn down in different places," he said.

"Tearing down banners and festoons will not stop the mass mobilisation behind this long march. The number of demands is increasing. All the demands will eventually converge into one demand," Nahid added.

The Jamaat-led opposition alliance is organising the long march with several demands.

These include implementing the people's mandate from the referendum, trying those responsible for the July killings, and resolving electricity, oil, gas and fertiliser shortages.

The alliance also demands measures to prevent price increases of essential commodities, an end to corruption, extortion and land grabbing, improvements in the law-and-order situation, an end to narrow partisanisation, and implementation of the Teesta Master Plan.