Tarique vows befitting reply to conspirators

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday called for national unity to thwart renewed conspiracies against Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty, warning that those seeking to undermine the country’s democratic rights would be given a befitting reply. 

He urged people from all walks of life, both at home and abroad, to unite on a common platform against conspiracies, regardless of where they originated, and pledged that Bangladesh would never again be turned into a subservient state.

“We want to pay a befitting reply once again, just as we did in 1971, in 1990 and on 7 November in 1975. Let today’s 7 November revolution rally be the day that fulfils our aspirations and dedicates itself to safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh,” he said while addressing a brief rally in front of the BNP’s Nayapaltan headquarters before leading a procession to Manik Mia Avenue to mark National Revolution and Solidarity Day.

Calling 7 November a symbol of national unity and the people’s determination to protect the country’s independence and sovereignty, Tarique said the forces defeated by the people for conspiring against Bangladesh were trying to regroup.

Since independence, certain quarters had repeatedly conspired against the country’s sovereignty, human rights, voting rights and freedom of expression, but the people had defeated them, he said.

“They are trying to raise their heads in the country again. Let us, today, on this National Revolution and Solidarity Day, pledge to protect our nation’s sovereignty and the democratic rights of the people, at any cost,” he said at the concluding rally at Manik Mia Avenue, adjacent to the South Plaza of the National Parliament Complex.

He called upon all pro-democratic forces to stand together against any attempt to undermine the country’s interests, stressing that no conspiracy could intimidate democracy-loving people.

The prime minister also urged the people to uphold the spirit of 7 November and protect the democracy secured through the sacrifices of the people during the 5 August 2024 uprising.

‘Bangladesh first’ must be the national pledge

At a separate programme at the Army Stadium in Banani, organised under the direction of the Ministry of Defence and supervised by the armed forces, Tarique called for a fresh national pledge that nobody would ever again be allowed to snatch the country’s independence, sovereignty and people’s rights or turn Bangladesh into a subservient state.

Addressing young participants at the programme, he urged them to draw inspiration from the historic day and always put national interests first.

“Let the voice of the patriotic and democracy-loving people on this historic day of the revolution of soldiers and people be: ‘Not Delhi, not Pindi, nor any other country. Bangladesh first’,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the 1971 Liberation War, the Sepoy-People’s Revolution of 7 November 1975, the 1990 anti-autocracy movement and the 2024 mass uprising against fascism had demonstrated that the people of Bangladesh never compromised on national interests, independence or sovereignty.

Describing November 7 as a day of great significance for patriotic and democratic forces, he recalled how soldiers and civilians had joined hands in 1975 to foil conspiracies against the country’s independence and sovereignty.

He said conspiracies against Bangladesh had reached their peak in the first week of November 1975, when then Army chief Ziaur Rahman and his family were placed under house arrest on the night of 3 November.

Soldiers and ordinary people united to defeat the conspiracy that began with the confinement of the proclaimer of independence, he said.

Tarique said those who wanted to make Bangladesh a subservient state, impose one-party rule by denying people their democratic and political rights, and humiliate the armed forces were defeated by the 1975 revolution.

However, the defeated forces did not give up and later regrouped, eventually turning the country into a subservient state again, he said.

“The honour of the armed forces was damaged through the planned killing of army personnel at Pilkhana, and fascist rule was imposed by taking away people’s democratic and political rights,” he said.

Those forces were defeated again through the 2024 student-people uprising, which cost thousands of lives and freed the country from fascism, he added.

Paying tribute to those killed or injured in the prolonged movement against fascism and the mass uprising, the Prime Minister said the two historic struggles had different but closely connected objectives.

“The war of 1971 was to win independence, and the fight in 2024 was to protect it. As people from every walk of life took to the streets on 5 August 2024, soldiers and people did the same on 7 November 1975,” he said.

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PM leads six-kilometre procession

Earlier in the afternoon, Tarique Rahman led a procession from Nayapaltan to Manik Mia Avenue, walking nearly six kilometres alongside thousands of BNP leaders, activists and supporters.

The procession began at around 3:30pm from the Nightingale intersection in Nayapaltan, in front of the party’s central office. It passed through Kakrail, Shahbagh, Hotel InterContinental and Karwan Bazar before reaching the mausoleum of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman in the Parliament complex area at around 4:30pm.

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi accompanied the Prime Minister, along with several senior party leaders.

BNP Standing Committee members Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed and Amanullah Aman were also present throughout the procession.

Thousands of people lined both sides of the route to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister, waving to greet him. Crowds of onlookers also gathered on the upper floors of nearby buildings as Tarique waved back.

Members of the Special Security Force (SSF) remained alert throughout the procession.

After reaching Manik Mia Avenue, Tarique delivered his concluding speech from a truck near the South Plaza of the National Parliament Complex, renewing his call for national unity to protect Bangladesh’s sovereignty and democratic rights.

Earlier in the morning, the Prime Minister paid tribute to his parents, BNP founder and martyred President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, at their graves in Zia Udyan, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

He arrived there at around 8:30am, accompanied by senior BNP leaders, and placed wreaths at their graves.

7 November is observed as National Revolution and Solidarity Day in remembrance of the 1975 uprising in which soldiers and civilians joined forces to free then Army chief Ziaur Rahman from house arrest, marking a significant turning point in the country’s political history.