Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday urged party leaders and activists to remain united as they had over the past 17 years, warning that internal division will only benefit "fascist forces" and infiltrators ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

Addressing an organisational meeting of local BNP leaders and activists at the Barishal Shilpakala Academy, he said differences of opinion are natural but should never be allowed to weaken the party and destroy the unity.

"You remained united during the last 17 years and brought the party to victory in the parliamentary election. You must maintain that same unity in the local government elections. If we remain united, no fascist force or infiltrator will be able to enter or take advantage. They will benefit only if our unity breaks,” the Prime Minister said.

Recalling the party's years in opposition, he praised grassroots leaders and activists for keeping BNP afloat despite repression.

"You suffered enforced disappearances, killings and persecution, yet you stood together and protected the party…You gave more time to the party than to your own family. You spent your own money and endured anxiety and suffering for the party. Now that fear no longer exists. If you could remain united then, why cannot you remain united now?" the BNP chief said.

He warned party members to remain vigilant against "hybrid" politicians and infiltrators, saying there were many conspiracies before the election, and those conspiracies have not stopped.

“Some people are still plotting inside the country, while another group is conspiring from abroad…We must further organise the party, but while doing so we must ensure that hybrids and infiltrators do not enter the party leadership,” Tarique Rahman said.

He said the BNP came to power because of the sacrifices of its leaders and activists, making it essential to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots.

"If you want your party to remain in government, the grassroots must remain united and strong. It is because of you that BNP has come to power," the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the planned local government elections, he said the party first needs to prepare organisationally.

"You say you want local government elections. Are you prepared? Without preparation, can you win? And if you cannot win, how will the government function?" Tarique Rahman asked.

"We will certainly hold local government elections. We will discuss the timing after the monsoon. Before that, you must unite and decide among yourselves who will contest for chairman, who will contest for member and who will lead the organisation,” he said.

The Prime Minister urged party workers not to make unrealistic promises merely to gain popularity.

"I will not promise what I cannot deliver," he said, adding that the responsibilities of government requires difficult but realistic decisions rather than populism,” he said.

Tarique Rahman expressed confidence that BNP leaders and activists will remain united and repeat their organisational success in the upcoming local government elections.

He also instructed party leaders to ensure peaceful celebrations of the upcoming major Hindu religious festival.

"I am telling everyone here, and those who are absent should also be informed, that the festival must be held peacefully at any cost. No one should be allowed to create any untoward incident or exploit the occasion," the Prime Minister said, referring to Rath Yatra.

Speaking about the challenges inherited by his government, he alleged that the previous administration had prioritised corruption over genuine development.

"For 17 years, we heard about development. But where was that development? It was development only for their own pockets," Tarique Rahman said.

He alleged that billions of taka had been siphoned off in the name of development projects and cited what he described as inflated costs for major infrastructure schemes.

Referring to a white paper prepared during the interim administration by economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, the Prime Minister said the report had highlighted the large-scale outflow of funds from the country over the past 17 years.

He said development should not be measured only by roads, bridges and flyovers, stressing that improving healthcare, education, child health services, water management and the overall quality of life was equally important.

Tarique Rahman said his government inherited a weakened banking system, a struggling healthcare sector and an education system whose qualifications had lost credibility abroad.

He said accountability had been destroyed because people had been denied the opportunity to elect their representatives through regular, credible elections.

Despite those challenges, the Prime Minister said his government began implementing key election pledges, including the Family Card and Farmers' Card programmes.

"We assumed office in February, just before Ramadan, yet we managed to keep essential commodity prices stable throughout the fasting month," he said.

Tarique Rahman also said the government later had to cope with the impact of conflict in the Middle East, which pushed up global oil prices and increased Bangladesh's import costs by around US$2.5 billion.

Using a family analogy, he urged party workers to share responsibility. "If everyone in a family keeps making the house dirty, one person alone cannot keep it clean. The country is like a family. You are now part of the responsibility of running the country. So, you must act with patience, responsibility and good judgement."

The meeting was attended by BNP leaders from Barishal division and local elected representatives.