BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has strongly responded to Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher’s remarks accusing the BNP of obstructing the election process, saying it is Jamaat that has created all the barriers so far.

Do not fool the people. All the obstacles that have appeared so far have come from your side,” Fakhrul said while addressing a discussion organised by the Muktijoddha Dal at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday.

Emphasising the significance of the Liberation War, the BNP leader said there is no scope to forget 1971. “The anti-liberation forces want to downplay the Liberation War and highlight the movement of 2024. The BNP has been struggling for the past 15 years. If they want to claim all the credit alone, we cannot accept it,” he added.

Fakhrul accused certain vested groups of trying to create division within society, saying, “There is no room to forget 1971, because it is our very existence. Remember the past—they tried to describe the Liberation War as chaos and joined hands with the Pakistanis in killings.”

Refuting allegations that the BNP is delaying the election, he said, “BNP is an election-oriented party. We demanded elections within three months. If the polls had been held, the evil forces could not have resurfaced.”

The BNP secretary general claimed that everything passed in the July National Charter was already included in the party’s 31-point reform agenda. 

BNP is a reformist party. But reforms must be presented before the people, not by deceiving them. The Consensus Commission had included notes of dissent, but now they have been dropped. This is a betrayal of the people,” he said.

We held press conferences; we did not take to the streets. We did not lay siege to the Chief Adviser’s residence or the Election Commission. Yet one party wants to impose everything through its movement,” he added.

Describing the current situation as a critical time for the nation, Fakhrul said, “There was no need for a referendum, yet we agreed to it. Now they want the referendum first. The Chief Adviser has expressed fears of possible attacks centring the election—but it should be made clear who could carry them out.”

Referring to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said, “Hasina is speaking in the media but has not apologised. She is carrying out propaganda from India. I would urge India to return Hasina so that she can be brought to justice.”