BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that his party will only take responsibility for the sections of the July National Charter it signed, rejecting any liability for parts it did not endorse.

He also blasted Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, saying that the party is engaged in plotting efforts to establish the July Uprising 2024, and denying the country’s 1971 Liberation War.

At a programme in the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday, Fakhrul said that it was made clear while signing the July National Charter that only the issues agreed upon by all political parties would be signed, while any points of disagreement would be recorded as notes of dissent.

“But now, it is seen that there is no mention of the notes of dissent in the final recommendations of the charter. Our statements have been arbitrarily omitted, and new things have been added. It is undoubtedly an act of betraying the people,” he said.

Fakhrul also said there is no scope for the referendum before the national election and blamed the government and the National Consensus Commission (NCC) for creating a fresh political crisis in the country.

“They (interim government and NCC) lied and betrayed the nation,” he said, calling upon the government to shun the path it has taken.

“As a responsible political party, BNP clarified its stance through a press conference without taking to the streets. We neither staged any protests nor attempted to besiege the residence of the Chief Adviser or the Election Commission,” he said.

Fakhrul further said, “Jamaat just wants to exaggerate the July 2024 movement. We have struggled not for a day, but for 15 years, to restore democracy in the country and to oust the fascist force led by Hasina. Freedom fighters have also fought for this cause. If anyone now claims to have led the movement single-handedly, we cannot accept it.”

False and fabricated cases have been filed against 6 million leaders and activists, while BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had to spend six years in prison, as she was sentenced to ten years in a false case, he said.

“There isn’t a single BNP leader, including Hafiz Bhai and others present here, who hasn’t faced hundreds of cases. Our leader, Ilias Ali, and around 1,700 others were forcibly disappeared, while 2,000 people were killed to establish a fascist, monstrous regime under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership,” he said.

Pointing his finger at Jamaat, he said the party members killed many innocent people and intellectuals in association with those who carried out genocide in the country in 1971, he said, adding that the nation did not forget the history.

Fakhrul also sharply criticised deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina for making propagandistic statements from India without expressing remorse for her past atrocious actions.

“We want to clearly tell the Indian government to return Hasina to Bangladesh, paving the path for her trial in light of the country’s existing law,” he said.

Stressing that the people of Bangladesh want democracy and aspire to live under a democratic system, Fakhrul said that the countrymen can never be dominated through intimidation or attacks from abroad.

BNP founder Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman began the reform of the state on 7 November 1975, by introducing a multi-party democracy instead of one-party BAKSAL rule in the country, he said.

Later, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia transformed the country’s system of governance from a presidential to a parliamentary form, Fakhrul said.

“Despite our objections, she (Khaleda Zia) implemented the caretaker government system back then to conduct new elections, under which nearly four elections were held and widely accepted by all. Sheikh Hasina later abolished the system, undermining the people’s right to exercise their vote,” he said.

Earlier, on 28 October, the National Consensus Commission submitted its final recommendations for implementing the July National Charter to the chief adviser, proposing a referendum either before or on the day of the national election.

Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal, a front body of BNP, organised the programme, with its President Ishtiaque Aziz Ulfat in the chair.