BNP has betrayed its own leaders, activists as well as people: Asif Mahmud

The BNP has betrayed not only the people but also its own leaders and activists by abandoning its commitments to democracy and reforms, National Citizen Party (NCP) Senior Joint Secretary Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain has said.

“The government made various promises and presented an election manifesto. But after the polls, it has forgotten not only the July Charter but also the 31-point reform agenda it campaigned on. It has betrayed not just the people but also its own leaders and activists whom it brought to the streets and polling centres in the name of the 31 points, democracy and reforms,” he said.

Asif made the remarks at a mass protest rally organised by the NCP’s Dhaka North and South units in Shahbagh today (October 30), demanding the implementation of the party’s four-point demands.

He alleged that BNP leaders and activists who had taken part in movements and worked during the election were now being pushed aside and killed, while a new group of leaders and activists had begun to dominate the party.

“The day is not far when the BNP’s dedicated grassroots leaders and activists, who were shot during the July Uprising and stood alongside us in the movement, will return to our rallies and unite with us,” he added.

Referring to the by-election in Thakurgaon-1, Asif said people had witnessed candidates from the ruling and opposition parties feeding each other sweets.

Addressing party activists at the rally, he urged them to double, triple, quadruple or even increase their organisational strength tenfold in the coming days.

Through its organisational activities, he said, the NCP would develop into a party capable of taking state power within the next 10 years.

NCP Convener Nahid Islam, Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, Senior Joint Conveners Nasiruddin Patwary and Hasnat Abdullah, Senior Joint Secretaries Sarjis Alam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, and Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar, among others, attended the rally.

The NCP’s four demands are the resignation of the home and energy ministers over their failures; the dissolution of the one-party constitutional amendment committee and formation of a Constitution Reform Council based on the public mandate expressed through the referendum; the repeal of all laws that undermine human rights and freedom of speech, and rejection of the proposed amendments to the Cyber Security Act; and completion of the trial of the July massacre and immediate implementation of the verdicts.