Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday called on the political parties that joined the anti-fascist movement alongside the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over the past 17 years to remain united in fulfilling the aspirations of the people.
“We were together in the past, we are together and we will remain together. There is no reason for us to part ways. So, let us all work together in the days ahead to fulfil the expectations of the people,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while exchanging greetings and hosting a dinner for leaders of the political parties that participated in the movement leading to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.
Addressing the alliance leaders, Tarique Rahman urged patience and cooperation, saying the expectations of the people from the parties involved in the movement are enormous.
“As your younger brother, I would say that all of us have to remain patient because the expectations of the people from us are immense. Let us first identify those expectations and work together to fulfil them,” he said.
“There may be differences of opinion among us on some areas while doing so, but there is no division among us. There is no room for misunderstanding,” he added.
Calls for Unity Around Reform Agenda
The Prime Minister said the people remain the greatest source of strength for both the BNP and the allied parties that participated in the united movement.
“Our strength will endure as long as we continue to enjoy the people’s support, and by the grace of Allah, we have that support,” he said.
He expressed hope that continued unity would enable the alliance to move the country forward, whether through the 31-point state reform agenda or the July Charter.
At the beginning of his address, Tarique Rahman recalled that the alliance had jointly unveiled the 31-point reform outline while facing political repression.
“We, many political parties, sat together and presented the 31-point for state reform before the people of Bangladesh. While others spoke about reform, we jointly placed concrete proposals before the nation despite the intimidation of the authoritarian regime,” he said.
He described the reform agenda as having received the people’s mandate and called on all like-minded political forces to work together for its implementation.
Refers to Challenges Facing the Government
The Prime Minister said his government inherited a country left in a fragile condition after 17 years of authoritarian rule.
He cited the economy, energy, electricity, education and healthcare sectors as among those facing significant challenges when the government assumed office.
“Even then, we worked day and night to provide some relief to the people across the country. I do not know whether we achieved it completely, but we certainly tried and continue to do so,” he said.
Although acknowledging that not every objective had been achieved, Tarique Rahman said the government had made progress in improving public services during its initial months in office.
He called on the alliance partners to continue supporting the government’s efforts in the days ahead.
Alliance Dinner
Earlier in the evening, the Prime Minister greeted leaders of the allied parties individually before joining them for dinner.
The programme began with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Islami Oikya Jote leader Shawkat Amin, followed by a welcome address from BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Leaders of several allied parties also addressed the gathering, including Mostafa Jamal Haider of the Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar), Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikya, Saiful Haque of the Revolutionary Workers Party, and Mufti Mohiuddin Ikram of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.
Senior BNP leaders, representatives of allied political parties and members of the government’s coalition attended the event, where the Prime Minister later joined the alliance leaders for a buffet dinner.
