BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has called on party leaders and activists to work people’s aspirations as their party is the source of all strength for the nation.

Addressing the Cumilla South District BNP conference virtually on Saturday, Tarique Rahman urged all forces supporting democracy to remain united.

Recalling history, the BNP leader said, “After the country gained independence, a dictator named Zia Khan came to power. If all democratic forces cannot remain united, secret dictatorship could rise again. There is no alternative but to unite for nation-building.

He emphasised that unity, nation and reconstruction should be the central tenets of the party’s agenda.

Pointing at the BNP leaders and activists, Tarique Rahman said, “BNP leaders and activists have mobilised people in movements, faced persecution and oppression, and contributed to the fall of dictatorship. Now, the country must be rebuilt, and for that, everyone must remain united.

For the past 16 years, he said, the country has suffered under what he termed a ‘robbery of the nation’. “Now, we must reconstruct this nation. We have to reach out to the people, visit them at their homes, and convey how we will rebuild the country to citizens of all walks of life,” he said.