BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said that Sheikh Hasina wanted to merge Bangladesh with India, which is why she referred to the people of Bangladesh only as "Bengali."
"She repeated it so often that it became excessive. But even after many propaganda campaigns against Bangladeshi nationalism, she could not erase it," Mr Rizvi said at a discussion on a book organised by 7 November Projonmo at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday.
The discussion centred on the book "Theoretical Analysis of Bangladeshi Nationalism: Crisis of Civic and Ethnocentric Nationalism," written by pro-BNP political activist Maruf Mallick.
Mr Rizvi alleged that Sheikh Hasina has a tendency to reject everything that Ziaur Rahman established.
BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan attended the discussion as chief guest, while 7 November Projonmo's Member Secretary Yasir Wardad Tonmoy presented the keynote paper.
Touching on the current political climate, Mr Rizvi said, "We are facing many conspiracies of division. Since August 5, the changing situation, continuous threats from neighbouring countries, the shifting political dynamics, and the rise of certain forces together are creating opportunities for a big conspiracy against our independence and sovereignty."
On the issue of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) vice president, the BNP leader questioned, "Has a VP been given the power of a magistrate? He is fining shops inside the university, calling them illegal, and depositing the money into his party fund. What legal basis does this have?"
Abdul Moyeen Khan, in his remarks, said that the foundation of BNP's long 15-year movement was the "power and philosophy of Bangladeshi nationalism."
Presenting the keynote paper, Mr Tonmoy said, "Bangladeshi nationalism is the only philosophy for overcoming Bangladesh's crises. It is not about division; rather, it strengthens national unity based on territory, culture, the Liberation War, and independence."
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