Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen met BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Wednesday evening. The one-hour and 20-minute meeting, which began around 7:30 pm, was held at Khaleda Zia’s residence in the city’s Gulshan area, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. The Chinese ambassador exchanged greetings with Khaleda Zia and inquired about her health. Election roadmap to thwart all conspiracies: BNP During the meeting, Yao Wen presented a traditional Chinese wall banner to the BNP chairperson. BNP Standing Committee member Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain and Vice Chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury were also present.  

Once the roadmap for the next national election is announced, no one would dare to conspire anymore against Bangladesh, BNP told the interim government on Wednesday. “We have told (the government) to implement a reform agenda very quickly and announce a roadmap for the election. If people get the roadmap and become election-oriented, no one will dare to hatch conspiracies that you are seeing now,” said BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. He was talking to reporters after a meeting between Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and representatives from different political parties including BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. Mosharraf said the responsibility of this interim government is to protect the country’s independence and sovereignty, and establish democracy. Rizvi slams Mamata for ‘harbouring Hindu nationalist ideology’ He mentioned that everyone at the meeting said that they are unanimously against the conspiracies being hatched by the fallen government against the country from abroad. “The fascist government was ousted through the July-August mass uprising. We all together --the students and people of this country -- will also confront their conspiracies,” he said. A five-member BNP delegation, led by Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, joined the meeting. The four others were Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Dr AZM Zahid Hossain. Mosharraf said the chief adviser held talks with political parties to seek cooperation in protecting the existence of Bangladesh as different political and social issues are created here from a neighbouring country.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Wednesday asked his party leaders and activists to refrain from any negative or controversial activities that may  undermine the public confidence as the next general election would be ‘very tough’ for the party. “Let’s come to take an oath that we will refrain from doing anything that undermines the public confidence (in BNP),” he said, while addressing a workshop in Chattogram through a virtual platform. Tarique urges people to show utmost restraint BNP Training Affair Committee arranged the Chattorgam Divisional workshop titled “31-point state structure reform proposal and the public engagement” at Chattogram Engineers’ Institute. Tarique said, “If anyone thinks those whom we considered our main political opponents are not there or they are now weak in the field and we would go to power easily, please remove it (this thought) from the mind.” Tarique Rahman seeks limit on PM’s consecutive terms    He said the next election will be very tough for his party as many conspiracies continue and many invisible forces are working against BNP. The BNP acting chairman said BNP leaders and activists had to tolerate numerous torture and repression for the last 15-16 years. “Please don’t spoil our achievements and sacrifices with small mistakes. We should be conscious so that our achievements and sacrifices are not foiled,” he said. He said BNP won't be able to woo voters in the next election if it fails to keep up the existing public trust in the party. “We’ll have to keep up the existing public confidence. Otherwise, you won’t gain the votes of people. It is not the responsibility of people to retain this confidence, rather it’s yours (BNP representatives) duty,” he added. Tarique reminds BNP leaders of tough election, urges hard work “You will have to uphold this confidence until the vote is held. And when you win the election, you will have to work to implement the 31-point reform proposal,” said Tarique. The BNP leader asked his party leaders and activists to take its 31-point reform proposal to the doors of people and to drum up support for it.

Dhaka, Dec 4 (UNB) – BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of harbouring deep-seated Hindu nationalist views, despite her public stance on secularism. “Although Mamata publicly advocates for secularism she secretly holds extremist Hindu nationalist beliefs. She has allied herself with the communal BJP government. This alignment undermines her professed secular values,” Rizvi told a pre-procession rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Wednesday. BNP demands withdrawal of Mamata's UN peacekeeper statement Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Front arranged the procession in protest against the recent attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, India. The procession, which started from the Press Club, paraded streets up to Nayapaltan. Accusing it pursuing a politics of hatred and divisiveness, Rizvi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come to power by exploiting hardline Hindu nationalism and managed to maintain its position by promoting violence. BNP not an obstacle to AL ban, says Rizvi Rizvi also criticised India's media for spreading anti-Bangladesh propaganda, alleging that Indian outlets, fuelled by Prime Minister Modi’s regime, continue to manufacture false narratives in order to destabilise Bangladesh.

A five-member BNP delegation, led by party Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, will meet Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday. The BNP delegation will go to the Chief Adviser's official residence, State Guest House Jamuna, at 4 pm, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. The other members of the BNP delegation include its Standing Committee members Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain. Meanwhile, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Tuesday said Prof. Muhammad Yunus will hold talks separately with different stakeholders, including political parties and student leaders, as he seeks national unity. He will also hold meetings with religious leaders on Thursday. The Press Secretary said the Chief Adviser will call for national unity at the meetings. Prof. Yunus held a meeting with student leaders on Tuesday evening. DU VC meets chief adviser, discusses university affairs Earlier, on November 27, a BNP delegation, led by party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, also had a meeting with the Chief Adviser and discussed the country’s latest political situation, the party’s position on reforms, and the next election.  

BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said no person should be the Prime Minister for more than two consecutive terms in the country. “I personally think that a person should in no way be the prime minister at least for more than two consecutive terms,” he said while replying to a question from a student at a workshop held in BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office. Tarique Rahman, who joined the event through a virtual platform, said he firmly believes that it is not possible for an individual to work sincerely after a maximum of 10 years as the person might be physically and mentally exhausted.  BNP Training Affairs Committee arranged the workshop titled “31-point state reform and public engagement” for the private university students. In reply to another question, the BNP acting chairman said if BNP comes to power, it would not keep the provision of using symbols of political parties in the local body elections. Addressing the workshop, he spelled out his party’s thoughts and plans over the reform of the country’s structures and development of different sectors, including education, healthcare, agricultural, financial, environment, water and the commodity supply chain. Tarique put emphasis on the establishment of the political and economic rights of the people in the country. “If we can’t establish the political rights and economic rights of the people simultaneously, there’ll be no use of any reform, no matter how much we talk about reform,” he said. The BNP leader said the political rights and economic independence of people must be established at any cost. “If so we’ll be able to implement all reform programmes gradually.” About corruption, Tarique said the nation should be taken out of the culture of corruption. “We’ll have to curb corruption at anyhow and take the nation and the country out of it.” He said there was a law during the last BNP’s regime that ACC won’t require to take any permission from the government to conduct an investigation against anyone. The ACC was independent. But the previous autocratic government changed this law and incorporated a provision to take prior permission from the government to carry out investigation against any government official or employee, he said. Read: Tarique Rahman urges unity to end political vengeance Raising his party’s thoughts about the future education system, he said they would increase the budget for the education sector and give emphasis on primary education by enhancing the quality of the teachers through proper training and recruiting meritorious teachers in primary schools. Besides, learning the third language alongside Bengali and English would be compulsory for the class VI-X students. The third language could be Italian, French, German, Mandarin, Arabic or Japanese.  “I want to keep another language compulsory alongside Bengali and English,” he said. He believes that if a worker with knowledge of a third language goes abroad, the person won’t face difficulty in availing a job there. The BNP acting chairman said if BNP comes to power, it would introduce family cards to give financial support to every family and farmer cards to provide support to actual farmers in the country.   “There will be family cards for every family in the country. The card will be given against the name of the mother or wife in a family,” he said.      Citing an example, he said if the support of Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 will be given from the state for every family a month and the family could save some money, which would ultimately help make the family financially independent.   About BNP’s plan about the agricultural sector, Tarique said they would try to discourage imported items and encourage local products. He said farmer cards will be given by preparing a database of the country’s actual farmers in order to provide fertilizers support and other facilities including crops insurance coverage and if possible, interest-free loans to the real farmers. Read more: Tarique Rahman claims conspiracy to create chaos in the country About the healthcare sector, the BNP leader said his party will create tens of thousands of ‘Palli Chikishak’ (village physicians) to provide more than one physicians for every village as a project titled ‘Palli Chikishak’ was implemented during the regime of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman. Some 70-75 percent of the village physicians would be women as they have easy access to any house in a village and convince the women, he said. About the commodity market, Tarique Rahman said there is a problem in the essential commodity supply chain and this is extortion. “We must curb extortion,” he said. It’ll have another supply chain alongside the traditional supply chain, he said, adding that normalcy should also be restored in the price-hike of essential items. About his party’s thoughts about the environment, the BNP leader said dredging canals and rivers would be one of their priorities. If BNP gets a chance to come to power, the canals and rivers would be dredged to make water reservoirs throughout the country and channel flood water, he said. Tarique Rahman said they would enhance the tree plantation to improve the environment.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday urged the interim government to seek assistance from the UN peacekeeping force to ensure the security for the staff of Bangladesh's diplomatic missions in India as they failed to provide security for them. “The officials and employees of the Bangladesh missions are suffering from a sense of insecurity. In this situation, the Bangladesh government should seek assistance from the UN peacekeeping force and take measures for the security of our people there," he said. He made the call at a press conference in the BNP central office in Nayapaltan, while talking about the recent attack on Bangladesh Assistant High Commission at Agartala, India. India really wants stable, constructive relationship with Bangladesh: Verma Rizvi said being instigated by the BJP government, the extremist terrorists carried out the brutal attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Kunjaban, Agartala amid the silent presence of the members of the law enforcement agencies. They tore down the national flag, set it on fire, vandalised the flagpole and damaged the property inside the assistant high commission, he said. "This unprecedented attack on the diplomatic mission in Agartala is a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961,” said the BNP leader. Though the Indian government staged the drama to express regret for the attack, the instances of aggressive interference India did in Bangladesh's internal affairs in the past created further resentment (in Bangladesh), he added. “We would like to tell the extremist Hindus of India, your friendship is with Sheikh Hasina. The open hostility you have shown against the people of Bangladesh to protect that friendship is not a good neighbourly behavior,” he added. Rizvi said their (Indians’) friend Hasina got shelter there in India after killing thousands of people (in Bangladesh). “Be satisfied with her (giving her shelter). Remember, Bangladesh became independent at the cost of millions of lives, not to be a slave to Delhi. The slave who wanted to be a servant is now on your feet,” he said. The BNP leader claimed that the Indian BJP government and extremists have gone madder than Hasina after she lost power and was ousted. They are desperately spreading propaganda, he alleged.   Rizvi-Mamata About West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s call for sending the troopers of the UN peacekeeping forces to Bangladesh, Rizvi said Bangladeshi missions in India are now unprotected and a video went viral where a member of Bangladeshi mission was being beaten brutally. "Even then, Mamata Banerjee will say so. Bangladesh doesn't need peacekeeping forces, rather India does,'" he said, adding that it is also necessary to send UN peacekeeping forces to Kashmir, Assam and Manipur in India. Pointing at Mamata, the BNP senior joint secretary general said, "First, take care of your own country. Deploy peacekeeping forces in your country, India, which is necessary in Kashmir, Assam and Manipur." Attack on Bangladesh Mission: India arrests 7, suspends 3 cops Rizvi also called on international human rights organisations to investigate the allegations of atrocities against minorities in various states of India.   Making Bangladesh Unstable Rizvi said countless atrocities against minority communities are happening all the time in India, but the country has no regret or remorse about the incidents. As part of a master plan, India is expressing unnecessary concern and anger over the situation in Bangladesh, he added. "To destabilise Bangladesh is a part of India's master plan so that Bangladesh can’t function properly... This is their international master plan and the people of Bangladesh think that an outside country is involved in this (in destabilising Bangladesh)," he said. Noting that India's role is double standard, he said the minorities including Muslims, Christians, lower castes Dalit Hindus and Sikhs have no security in their own country. BGB tightens vigil along border to avoid unwanted situation Rizvi asked all communities of the country --Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian– to inform the government if anyone feels a sense of insecurity. “The government will take appropriate measures. But there is no point in attracting the attention of India. Stay loyal to your homeland,” he hoped.   Indian Media’s Chorus The BNP leader said the Indian media are continuously singing choruses and spreading propaganda against Bangladesh. “They are slandering the supreme sacrifices and contributions of the student masses in this country's democratic movement,” he said. BNP leaders Abul Khair Bhuiyan, Tahmina Rushdir Luna, Abdus Salam Azad and Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu, among others, were present at the press conference. Later, thousands of BNP leaders and activists brought a procession led by Ruhul Kabir Rizvi in front of the BNP’s central office protesting the attack on the Bangladesh mission in India.  

Denouncing the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday expected that Indians would respect the democratic aspirations of the citizens of the new Bangladesh. “We hope that Indians would respect the democratic aspirations of the citizens of the new Bangladesh and help the trial of the Awami League fascist leaders who stay in India by sending them back (to Bangladesh),” he said in a statement. BNP demands withdrawal of Mamata's UN peacekeeper statement Fakhrul said they strongly condemn the attack by extremists on the premises of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission at North Agartala in India.  “It is believed that the attack on the premises of the Assistant High Commission by the members of the organisation named "Hindu Sangha Samiti" was pre-planned,” he said. Tarique's acquittal proves cases were politically motivated: Fakhrul Taking down the Bangladesh flag, setting it on fire and carrying out vandalism after entering the Assistant High Commission is a clear violation of the Geneva Convention, said the BNP Secretary General. “We would request the Government of India and the people of India that the use of hatred in Bangladesh as a tactic of your domestic politics will create lasting tension in the relationship between the two countries,” Fakhrul added.

BNP acting chairmanTarique Rahman on Tuesday urged the people of the country to show utmost restraint and avoid falling prey to any provocation. “I urge my fellow Bangladeshis to show utmost restraint and not fall prey to any provocation,” he said in a post on X (formerly twitter) following the attack on the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala. Tarique reminds BNP leaders of tough election, urges hard work The BNP leader said, “Bangladesh faces many challenges, but we have largely been, and will remain, a land of religious harmony and territorial sovereignty, where the rights and freedoms of every citizen are protected, irrespective of race, caste, and religion.”  He said since the fall of autocrat Sheikh Hasina, there is an increase of inflammatory media commentary and political rhetoric against Bangladesh coming from certain Indian quarters. There is now an echo chamber filled with misinformation, fuelling persistent anti-Bangladesh sentiment, he added. Tarique Rahman urges unity to end political vengeance “The latest attack on the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala highlights the destabilising effects of disinformation, which only creates division and discord among neighbours,” said Tarique Rahman. He said international stakeholders must acknowledge that a destabilised Bangladesh, with near about 200 million people, is not in the interest of any country. “It is crucial to objectively understand what led to Hasina's ouster, what has been happening in Bangladesh since she fled to India, and why it’s imperative to forge people-to-people ties between Bangladesh and India, beyond any particular person or political party,” said the BNP acting chairman. It’s now time to unite, build Bangladesh: Tarique

The BNP on Monday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the statement of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Bangladesh, describing it as a threat to the country's independence and sovereignty. Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, currently in the UK, made the demand during a phone conversation with UNB. “What the West Bengal Chief Minister said about sending peacekeepers to Bangladesh is completely a threat to the independence and sovereignty of our country,” he said. Dhaka sharply reacts over “heinous attack” on its Agartala mission The BNP leader said the attitudes of the Indian leaders have been exposed to some extent through this statement. “I think West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should immediately withdraw her statement. She should not have any such thoughts as the people of Bangladesh gained independence through the Liberation War and recently they got back democracy through a revolution,” he said. Fakhrul termed Mamata’s remarks a plot against Bangladesh and said the people will prevent any conspiracy at any cost. Indian media on Monday reported that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged the central government to seek the deployment of a peacekeeping mission by the Union Nations in Bangladesh to tackle the ongoing situation there. Indian media spreading propaganda about Bangladesh: Home Affairs Adviser "We have families... properties... and loved ones in Bangladesh. We accept whatever stance the Government of India takes on this...but we condemn atrocities on religious grounds anywhere in the world and appeal to the union government, and the Prime Minister, to intervene," NDTV quoted Mamata as saying. Fakhrul alleged that false stories being spread and published in the Indian media about the deterioration or endangerment of communal harmony in Bangladesh is unacceptable in any way. “The Indian journalists came to Bangladesh and they also saw the ground reality. Many renowned journalists from West Bengal also visited our country and they did not find such a situation,” he said. The BNP leader said the people of Bangladesh will never accept the way the Indian media and their leaders are spreading a complete lie and threatening the independence and sovereignty of its neighbouring country. He also said it is very unfortunate what the Indian media and politicians are saying about Bangladesh. The BNP leader mentioned that a fresh conspiracy has recently started in Bangladesh involving ISKCON. “It is very clear that the recent role of ISKCON is suspicious, mysterious, and a threat to the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh, as well as to its stability.” Meanwhile, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi strongly protested the West Bengal Chief Minister’s comments, saying she has undermined Bangladesh’s sovereignty and independence. "It is a direct threat and interference in an independent country. The people of Bangladesh are shocked and surprised by the statement made by the West Bengal Chief Minister," Rizvi said at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office. He also questioned Mamata’s intention behind her comments regarding the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Bangladesh. The BNP leader urged all, including members of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian communities, to remain vigilant against the plots by India.