BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has reiterated that his party will not take responsibility for any portion of the July National Charter that it did not sign, reaffirming the BNP's firm stance on its "notes of dissent."
Speaking at a rally in Dhaka on Saturday, he accused the authorities of ignoring his party's objections and inserting new issues without its consent.
He described the move as "deceptive" and a breach of trust, claiming that the agreed principle, to include only points endorsed by all political parties while recording disagreements as dissent, had been violated.
"We will take responsibility for the sections of the July Charter that we signed, but not for those we did not," Fakhrul said while addressing the rally organised by the Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal, a BNP affiliate, at the National Press Club.
"When we agreed to sign the charter, it was clearly stated that only commonly agreed points would be included, and any differences would be recorded as 'notes of dissent'," he said, alleging that those dissenting notes have now been completely disregarded.
"Our objections were omitted, and new issues have been added instead. This is undoubtedly a deceptive act against the people," he added.
Fakhrul also criticised Awami League President Sheikh Hasina for her recent remarks from India, alleging that she continued "spreading propaganda" rather than expressing remorse.
"While in India, Sheikh Hasina has been giving interviews to various media outlets. Not once has she shown regret for her actions," he said.
He further urged the Indian government to return Hasina to Bangladesh, stating, "We want to make it clear to the Indian authorities - send Hasina back to face justice under Bangladesh's law. Stop going against the will of the people; they will not tolerate it any longer."
Reiterating the BNP's call for democracy, Fakhrul said, "The people of this country want democracy and a democratic system. They cannot be defeated by intimidation or repression."
BNP Standing Committee member Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed spoke as the chief discussant, while the event was presided over by Muktijoddha Dal president Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat.
Among others, BNP advisory council member Abdus Salam, Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, and the party's freedom fighters affairs secretary Lt. Col. (Retd) Zainul Abedin also spoke.
A report from bdnews24.com adds: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused some forces of attempting to overshadow Bangladesh's struggle for independence in 1971 by magnifying the July Uprising.
On Saturday, he called out the Jamaat-e-Islami, saying a group that opposed independence in 1971 is now trying to undermine it while giving more importance to the July movement.
"We had been struggling for 15 years for democracy, to remove Hasina," he added. "We do not want to create division. But some forces deliberately try to sow discord."
"Those who want to erase 1971 have a single goal-they want to deny that through struggle and the declaration by our leader Ziaur Rahman, Bangladesh became a free sovereign state."
The BNP secretary general said there was no room to forget 1971 as it marks the nation's birth and the recognition of the country as an independent state.
Fakhrul added, "We see today much more agitation from those forces. I urge everyone to recall the past. I will not name anyone, but remember your own history. Recall your role in 1971."
He said, "I want to speak clearly, whether it displeases anyone is not my concern. At that time, you called the Liberation War chaos… tried to describe it as an uprising by some criminals.
"Those who were killing us, you joined them and killed the people, taking many knowledgeable and wise individuals to execution grounds-we have not forgotten that."
He outlined that after the 1975 political changes, following Nov 7, the then president Zia initiated reforms, moving from a one-party system to a multiparty system and ensuring media freedom.
Fakhrul pointed out that under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, all newspapers except four were banned and those four were under government control.
"There was no way to operate outside that," he said.
"Ziaur Rahman envisioned a democratic state, Begum Khaleda Zia later restored parliamentary governance and caretaker elections," he added.
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