Ruling and opposition lawmakers engaged in a debate in the parliament on Sunday about who should be credited for the student-led mass uprising of 2024 that ended the Awami League’s 15-year authoritarian rule.

Ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmakers credited prime minister Tarique Rahman as the key leader behind the July movement, while the opposition argued that the uprising had no single mastermind and the credit should go to the people of Bangladesh as a whole.

The issue dominated two rounds of debate in the 17th sitting of the second ongoing session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad during the general discussion on the proposed national budget.

The debate began after state minister for civil aviation M Rashiduzzaman Millat said that Tarique led the July movement from abroad, providing strategic and intellectual leadership that contributed to the success of the mass uprising.

He referred to an earlier speech by leader of the opposition in the parliament Shafiqur Rahman, claiming that the opposition leader had previously acknowledged Tarique’s role in the movement.

On a point of order, Shafiqur disputed the context of Millat’s remarks, saying that his earlier statement had been made before the events of August 5, 2024 and should not be interpreted as attributing sole credit for the uprising to any individual.

He said, ‘The mastermind of this uprising is the 18 crore people of Bangladesh. We do not accept the idea of a single mastermind.’

Following the afternoon resumption of the sitting, BNP lawmaker Zainul Abedin Farroque revisited the issue on another point of order.

He said that following the July uprising of August 5, 2024, both the BNP and Tarique had stated that the ‘heroes of the July mass uprising were the people of the country.’

Farroque also said that Shafiqur was a highly respected figure and head of a political party, and noted that the parliamentary opposition leader himself had said at a 12-party meeting at Moghbazar on April 24, 2024 that Tarique was the main hero and central leader of the opposition movement.

He said that he wanted this statement to be recorded in the parliament, insisting that state minister Rashiduzzaman Millat spoke the truth and that Tarique was the principal figure reflecting the hopes and aspirations of the people, as acknowledged by Shafiqur himself.

Shafiqur responded that Millat spoke correctly and he thanked him for his remarks, but clarified that only the timing and date mentioned were inaccurate.

He said that he and several others had been in prison at the time and were released after the 2024 elections.

Shafiqur explained that after their release, the BNP held an iftar event at the Ladies Club during Ramadan, which he attended on invitation, and that Tarique participated virtually as the chief guest.

He said that he had spoken at that gathering and confirmed that what had been quoted was accurate.

Shafiqur said that the state minister referred to the statement as being made immediately after August 5, 2024, which was incorrect.

He said that the context of August 5 was different as the political context had changed by then.

Shafiqur said that credit should be given to those who deserved it for their role in the matter, and noted that he had also referred to a related point during a speech in the United States.

The opposition leader also referred to comments made by the then chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during a visit to the United States, saying that he had objected when Yunus described an individual as the ‘mastermind’ of the uprising.

‘I opposed that at the time and I still maintain that there was no single mastermind behind this movement,’ he said, adding that Bangladesh’s youth and the country’s 18 crore people deserved collective recognition for the uprising.