BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday questioned why there was “unnecessary controversy” over the party’s election symbol, the paddy sheaf.

Without naming anyone, Fakhrul said, “Brother, we never objected to your election symbol. The Election Commission will allocate symbols as per its decision. So why this unnecessary tug-of-war over the BNP’s paddy sheaf?”

He made the remarks while addressing a memorial meeting marking the 35th martyrdom anniversary of Nazir Uddin Jehad, a martyr of the 1990 anti-autocracy movement, held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital’s Ramna area. The event was organized by the Shaheed Jehad Smriti Sangsad.

The paddy sheaf is unstoppable,” Fakhrul said, adding, “Wherever you go in the villages, there’s only one slogan — Plant paddy, plant paddy. You can’t stop the paddy sheaf. When it wins, the enemies of the nation will be defeated in their conspiracies.”

Describing Sheikh Hasina as a “monster,” the BNP leader said, “The monster Sheikh Hasina didn’t flee to Delhi on her own — she was compelled to go. We fought for 15 long years to create that ground.”

He added, “Democracy doesn’t come through a few days of shouting. It requires hard work, sacrifice, and reaching out to the people. BNP is the party that goes to the people for democracy.”

Fakhrul also alleged that efforts were underway to bring the bureaucracy under the control of one party.

We will not tolerate that. During elections, there must be a completely neutral administration and government. The Election Commission and bureaucracy must remain impartial and not bow to any party,” he said.

Presiding over the memorial meeting, BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Amanullah Aman recalled the sacrifice of Shaheed Jehad, saying, “That day, we took an oath for the fall of autocracy, placing Jehad’s body before Aparajeyo Bangla on Dhaka University campus. Even after being attacked by police the next day, we renewed our pledge at the Central Shaheed Minar. Eventually, we succeeded in toppling the autocratic regime.”

The event was conducted by BNP Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon. BNP leader Asaduzzaman Ripon and several other senior leaders also spoke at the programme.