The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has formally launched its campaign for the upcoming national elections in the capital.
Its Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman inaugurated the campaign on Thursday in the Dhaka-15 constituency (Mirpur-Kafrul) as a nominated candidate.
He started the campaign through a rally at the Mirpur-10 Adarsha High School ground at around 2:30pm.
Shafiqur said if voted to power, his party would build a society based on justice, dignity, and equitable and shared prosperity for all citizens.
He warned that if any party tried to become fascist after coming to power, it would certainly face the fate that the Awami League did on August 5, 2024.
"We do not want to see fascism again in this country. If it reappears in a new guise, the people will respond the same way they did on August 5, 2024," he said.
He said Jamaat would not tolerate the return of authoritarian rule "even in disguise".
Referring to corruption and political violence, he urged voters to back leaders who could enforce justice as well as discipline the rank and file.
"We will stand with those who can stop extortion, land grabbing, harassment, violence, and terror," he said.
"If they cannot control their own people, no matter how beautiful their promises sound, the nation will see through them."
Shafiqur also claimed the fall of "fascist forces" had brought relief to the country, while cautioning against any attempt to return to the past repression.
"The root of discrimination, misrule, and corruption is the absence of justice," he stressed.
He accused the past rulers of looting banks, siphoning public wealth abroad, and using illicit money to fund crimes and political terror.
The politician said people would not accept extortion, terrorism, land grabbing, and corruption.
He mentioned his party's future visions, including zero tolerance against corruption, reopening closed mills and factories under public-private partnership, creating a business-friendly environment, providing fresh graduates with interest-free loans, and providing free healthcare services to persons above 60 and children below five.
Earlier in the day, thousands of Jamaat stalwarts thronged the venue, coming in with processions and carrying the party's electoral symbol - scale.
Jamaat leader Abdur Rahman Musa presided over the rally, which was moderated by former president of Chhatra Shibir's central committee Jahidul Islam.
National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam criticised a particular party for giving nominations to loan defaulters.
Vice-President of Jatiya Ganatantrik Party Engineer Rasheed Prodhan; Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Jubair; the party's candidates for Dhaka-14 constituency Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Qasem, Dhaka-16 Col (retd) Abdul Beaten, and Dhaka-17 Dr SM Khaliduzzaman; and member of Jamaat Central Executive Council and also the candidate for Dhaka- 12 Saiful Alam Khan Milon were present, among others.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com