Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has said the July 2024 uprising and the 1990 anti-autocracy movement should be evaluated together to fully understand the history of Bangladesh's democratic movements, reports BSS.
"The two movements are part of the same stream of democratic struggle; and two sides of the same coin," he said.
The minister made the remarks while speaking at a discussion on 'Tarique Rahman's Vision for Future's Bangladesh at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Saturday.
Swapan said, among the major political changes in Bangladesh's history since the Liberation War, the anti-autocracy movement of 1990 and the July uprising in 2024 are the most discussed.
He claimed that after the death of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, there was a conspiracy to prolong military rule, and a vested quarter supported that process at the time.
"Those who fear the people's verdict, elections, democracy, and parliamentary politics are the ones who repeatedly seek paths of conspiracy outside the democratic process," added the minister.
Swapan further said the greatest achievement of the 1990 uprising was the establishment of a neutral caretaker government system and ensuring free and fair elections.
Through that movement, Khaleda Zia transformed from an ordinary housewife into a national leader and later became the people's elected Prime Minister, he said.
Referring to the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the minister said just like Begum Khaleda Zia received spontaneous public support in 1991, Tarique Rahman has also garnered widespread public support in 2026. The movement of 1990 and the July movement are part of the same democratic course.
Swapan said those who only talk about the July uprising but deny the importance of the 1990 movement are not presenting the full picture of the history.
