Good news will come soon: Prime Minister

Photo: Collected

News Desk: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said that those who misled people during the Liberation War are now again spreading confusion through conspiracies to seize power.

He made these remarks on Monday afternoon while addressing a public rally organized by the district BNP at Altafunnesa Playground in Bogura.

The Prime Minister said that over the past 16 years, people’s freedom of speech and voting rights had been taken away. Political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had built movements against authoritarian rule. On August 5, 2024, people from all walks of life joined students on the streets, forcing the authoritarian regime to flee the country in the face of mass protests.

He alleged that the previous government carried out “mega corruption” under the guise of mega projects and laundered vast sums of money abroad.

Tarique Rahman said that while BNP is now fulfilling its election promises after coming to power, opposition parties are engaged in conspiracies both inside and outside parliament.

He further claimed that the same groups had historically misled the nation—during the Liberation War, the 1986 election, the 1996 political period, and the 2007–08 Bangladeshi political crisis—and are continuing similar efforts today. He warned that people must remain alert to such conspiracies.

He added that in the February 12 election, the জনগণ (people) gave BNP a mandate, and the government has already begun rebuilding the country. He highlighted several initiatives, including family cards, agriculture cards, loan waivers up to 10,000 taka with interest, allowances for imams and religious leaders, and a nationwide canal excavation program covering 20,000 kilometers. He also mentioned ongoing discussions with various countries to facilitate low-cost overseas employment.

Referring to reforms, he noted that Khaleda Zia had presented reform proposals in 2016, and later BNP introduced a 31-point reform agenda. He said BNP was the first to sign the “July Charter” formulated by the interim government with all political parties and pledged to implement it fully.

He criticized some political groups for spreading confusion about the July Charter while not addressing key issues such as women’s development, healthcare, and administrative reform.

The Prime Minister also promised to begin construction soon on a direct railway line between Bogura and Sirajganj and to establish a university in Bogura with departments including agriculture.

The rally was presided over by local BNP leader Rezaul Karim Badsha. Among others present were Dr. Zubaida Rahman, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam, and other MPs and party leaders.

After the rally, Tarique Rahman offered Maghrib prayers at Baitur Rahman Central Mosque on Station Road in Bogura and inaugurated the newly constructed Bogura Press Club building and the mosque’s reconstruction work.

Earlier in the day, he inaugurated a canal excavation project at Bagbari in Gabtali, Bogura, by symbolically digging soil. He also visited his ancestral home, “Zia Bari,” associated with his father, Ziaur Rahman.

In a notable moment, a child welcomed the Prime Minister with a garland made of currency notes in Shahjahanpur. Tarique Rahman accepted the gesture and then placed the garland back on the child, also affectionately patting another child on the head.