Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman yesterday said the opposition’s “primary arena” is the streets, not parliament, stressing that the party will remain in the House only as long as it can wage a meaningful fight within it.
“The distressed people of this country sent us to parliament hoping for change. If we cannot initiate that change, what is the use of this parliament?” he asked while addressing a discussion with families of July martyrs and fighters in Dhaka.
His remarks came amid the Jamaat-led 11-Party Alliance’s push, both inside parliament and through street protests, to implement the referendum verdict on state reforms under the July National Charter.
Shafiqur, the leader of the opposition in parliament, vowed that the opposition would fight alongside the people to bring about the “final defeat of fascism” and secure victory for citizens.
He also criticised attempts to politicise the martyrs’ sacrifice, saying, “Martyrs do not belong to any party; they are the proud asset of the nation. We do not want any division along party lines.”
The programme was organised by the 11-Party Alliance at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh auditorium in Kakrail.
Presiding over the event, Opposition Chief Whip and NCP Convener Nahid Islam said the unity forged during the 2024 mass uprising still holds, but alleged that the current BNP government has become “the main obstacle” to reforms.
Claiming there were efforts to render parliament ineffective, he urged July fighters to prepare for another mass movement.
“Without a mass movement, the government will not implement reforms. This time, we must take to the streets in a planned way. We do not want to fail or achieve only partial success again,” he said.
At least 10 family members of July martyrs and injured activists, along with other speakers, said the key aspirations of the July uprising remain largely unfulfilled, including ending discrimination and reforming the state.
They alleged that by not placing major interim government ordinances before parliament, the BNP has gone against the spirit of the uprising. These ordinances included those on the referendum, police commission, enforced disappearance, and Anti-Corruption Commission.
Shafiqur said most BNP lawmakers had themselves faced repression. “This [current parliament] is a gathering of the oppressed, who should understand each other’s suffering. But power seems so ruthless that it makes people forget their past. Then they see nothing but the lure of power.”
Referring to the BNP’s 31-point reform pledge, he said, “The very first point was constitutional reform. Now they [BNP] have taken a position against it.”
He further alleged a “spree of takeovers” across institutions, from Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Cricket Board to district councils and universities, accusing the BNP of attempting to reimpose “one-party rule in a BAKSAL-style manner.”
Nahid also said the July martyrs and injured should not be used for political purposes. “The government is at times invoking the July movement and 1971 to legitimise its actions. Yet it embodies neither 2024 nor 1971,” he said.
Among others, Sanzida Khan, mother of July martyr Shahariar Khan Anas, said she did not expect the BNP, once an oppressed party, to “forget the martyrs and stand against the people’s verdict” after coming to power.
“We believe Hasnat, Nahid and others represent the July martyrs and injured in parliament. We hope the government will honour the people’s mandate and realise the martyrs’ aspirations, without political duplicity,” she added.
Injured July activist Kamrul Ahsan urged the government to implement the July charter in line with the referendum verdict, warning of a broader movement if it fails to do so.
