BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said that Jamaat-e-Islami is working with “fallen fascists.” Speaking to journalists at the BNP central office in Nayapaltan on Thursday (September 25), Rizvi made these remarks in response to questions.He said:“Some people are thinking about bringing back fascism, about befriending them. Have they learned nothing from history? In our country, an Islamist political party has always seemed to work in favor of satisfying the Awami League. They were once a banned party, but it was Shaheed Ziaur Rahman who gave Jamaat the opportunity to do politics. Yet, there has never been a meeting or a program where they did not criticize him harshly. In every crisis, we saw them siding with the Awami League.”
Giving examples, Rizvi added:“In the 1986 election, they joined Awami League in contesting. They promised one thing but did another — just like Jamaat did. During the caretaker government movement, they also joined Awami League in the arson and violent protests. They even committed killings during that period. In Rajshahi University, student Tito was shot dead by Islami Chhatra Shibir. None of this can be forgotten. In the 2008 election, Begum Khaleda Zia did not want to join, but Jamaat leaders forced it, threatening to contest independently. Now, once again, they have revealed their true face and are rehabilitating Awami League.”
Rizvi warned:
“There can never be a revival of bloodthirsty, democracy-destroying fascism in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina established a uniquely Bangladeshi model of fascism—clinging to power through murder and repression. But the people of this country are moderate, religious-minded yet democracy-loving. They want to speak freely. Even if they eat less, they will raise their voices. No one can force them back into a new form of fascism.”
“Former Prime Minister’s Leaked Phone Calls Are Terrifying”
Rizvi further said:
“The former Prime Minister directly ordered shootings, as shown in the documents and audio recordings presented at the International Crimes Tribunal yesterday. Anyone who listens to them will be horrified. We who have fought for democracy and endured torture, remand, and long imprisonments, have seen her brutality firsthand. But now we are seeing evidence of even greater horrors—that movements were deliberately driven towards deadly consequences under her orders. The truth is coming out in court.”
He continued:
“In those leaked calls, we hear Sheikh Hasina ordering gunfire from helicopters, ordering arson in government buildings and metro rail stations. These incidents were later blamed on opposition activists. I was falsely charged in the metro station arson case, along with Nazrul Islam Khan and others. But now we see clearly—those violent incidents were orchestrated under her own direction. She played a catastrophic game, endangering the nation and people’s lives.”
“Questions Raised Over Advisors and Bureaucrats”
Rizvi also raised concerns over the interim government:
“Some activities of certain advisors have cast doubts over the neutrality of this interim government. Today’s media reports show that advisor Sajib Bhuiyan secured the largest allocation—about Tk 2,500 crore—for his own constituency. This is discriminatory and politically motivated. People fear he is using this opportunity to prepare for contesting as an MP in the future.”
He added:
“Can an advisor or senior bureaucrat divert thousands of crores of government funds to their own constituency while depriving the rest of the country? This is unethical and against the principles of good governance. We also hear that the Cabinet Secretary is loyal to a particular political party and may even contest elections after retirement. This is unfortunate and undermines both government transparency and neutrality.”