September 3: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Secretary General and political adviser to BNP Chairman and former Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, has said the historic July mass uprising was made possible by the BNP’s uninterrupted 17-year-long movement against authoritarianism and fascism.
Rizvi made the remarks on Thursday (September 3) while speaking as the chief guest at a programme held at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka, where the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) unveiled its digital platform and four booklets.
He said no revolution takes place overnight or all of a sudden. The July uprising, he said, reached its culmination on the foundation created through 17 years of movement led by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman to restore democratic rights, freedom of expression and voting rights.
“Thousands of BNP leaders and activists have faced enforced disappearances, killings, lawsuits, imprisonment and various forms of repression over the past one and a half decades,” Rizvi said.
He added that the sacrifices of BNP leaders and activists helped create the backdrop for a broader movement and contributed to the emergence of a mass awakening among people from all walks of life.
Calling for student politics to become more modern and people-oriented, Rizvi stressed the need to establish a proper connection between education and modern technology.
He said the JCD’s new digital platform would contribute to improving students’ political education and help them understand developments in national and international politics.
At the programme, the JCD officially launched its website. The platform includes an event map featuring organisational programmes, profiles of different organisational units, press releases and a facility for students to express their views.
JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib chaired the programme, while its General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir moderated the event.
Central leaders of the JCD and leaders of the organisation at the University of Dhaka were also present at the programme.