Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday accused some political parties of trying to create anarchy in the country by exploiting untoward incidents, urging people to remain alert to those who are trying to mislead them.

He made the remarks while inaugurating the rehabilitation work of the Tk 1,542 crore Muhuri-Kohua Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation Project (Phase I) at Kheya Ghat near the Muhuri Bridge in Parshuram upazila.

Referring to the government’s various programmes, including the Family Card, Farmers’ Card, canal excavation, expansion of upazila health complexes and reopening of closed mills and factories, the Prime Minister said any disruption to these initiatives will ultimately cause suffering for the people.

“But some political parties are plotting to create anarchy. We have seen what role these political parties played in 1971. We saw what they did at that time, how they committed various injustices and how they harassed and tortured women,” he said.

Tarique Rahman said those political forces won some seats in the last parliamentary elections by misleading people, but claimed that they are now treating the achievement as if they had achieved everything.

“We are seeing that just as they tortured women in 1971, they have unleashed violence against women again. We are seeing how some members of their covert force are torturing women. And they did not stop at torture. An investigation is underway, and I do not want to comment on a matter that is under investigation. But people say that they did not stop after torturing; ultimately, they ended a person’s life,” he said.

The Prime Minister said there are both good and bad people in the country and that some “bad people” were involved in untoward incidents, which he alleged the covert force was exploiting to create instability.

“Today the time has come for us to be cautious about how we will run our country. The time has come to decide whose words we will believe and whose words we will not believe. The time has come to decide whom the people will support and whom the people will not support,” he said.

Referring to statements of leaders of what he described as the “covert group” reported in various media outlets, Tarique Rahman said they were giving advice to others despite having problems within their own ranks.

“I saw in different media outlets that the leaders of that covert group are giving us a lot of advice, telling us to do this and that. Today, in front of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people here, I want to tell them: please look at your own house first,” he said.

The Prime Minister asked them to first address allegations of violence against women within their own ranks before advising others.

He said the time has come to maintain the country’s democratic process at any cost. “During the election, we saw how a covert force tried to mislead the people of the country by talking about selling (promising) various tickets,” he said.

Tarique Rahman said the time has come to protect the country from these misleaders. They stood against the interests of the country during and after the Liberation War, and they stood against democracy in 1986. “At every point, we have seen that the people of this covert force have always stood against the interests of the people of the country,” he said.

Citing that BNP took programmes for improvement of the fortune of the people and the country, he said the programmes such as the Family Card, Farmers’ Card and canal excavation are no longer merely BNP programmes but have become commitments to the people.

“To implement the programmes of the people, we must respond firmly to those who create anarchy and conspire,” the Prime Minister said.

Stressing the need for keeping democracy functioning for the interest of the country’s development, he said, “Only democracy can ensure the people’s right to vote, and only accountability to the people can ensure politics aimed at changing the country’s fortunes. At any cost, we will continue the people’s democratic process,” he said.

Tarique Rahman said the government has begun re-excavating the canal connected with the Muhuri and Kohua rivers as part of that work.

“As part of that work, today we have started re-excavating this canal, which will connect Muhuri and Kohua,” he said.

The Prime Minister said BNP promised before the election to excavate rivers and canals to prevent floods, ensure irrigation for agricultural land and other water-related facilities for people. “We will excavate this river and the canals connected to the river,” the Prime Minister said.

He said canal excavation is necessary for different reasons, including flood management, water supply for agricultural land and water facilities for people.

“Now, dear brothers and sisters, I have a question for you. Has any other political party in Bangladesh announced this canal excavation programme? Does any other party have a canal excavation programme? No,” Tarique Rahman said.

He said the people of this country entrusted BNP with the responsibility to run the country. BNP will, InshaAllah, use all its strength to ensure that the law is equal for everyone. “We want to establish the rule of law in the country,” he said.

The Prime Minister alleged that the rule of law had been destroyed in the previous 17 years. “We have seen how the rule of law was reduced to dust during the previous 17 years. We want to change that situation and gradually establish the rule of law,” he said.