BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said that although certain reasons have delayed his return to Bangladesh, the time has now come for him to do so.
“I will return soon and be among the people during the election,” he said in an interview with BBC Bangla, published on Monday.
Tarique Rahman said: “Physically, I may be in Britain, but mentally and emotionally, I have been in Bangladesh for the past 17 years.”
He added: “There will be a much-anticipated national election in the country, and how could I stay away at such a time? During the election, I will be with the people and among them.”
The BNP acting chairman further said: “I do not see myself as the mastermind of the July uprising. No individual or party was its mastermind. The democracy-loving people of Bangladesh were, in fact, the true masterminds of the July uprising.”
“BNP has consistently maintained that the sooner the election is held, the sooner stability will return to the country,” he added.
Tarique Rahman also said: “BNP believes that if the national election had been held six months earlier, many crises could have been avoided. The government has, albeit belatedly, come to realize this.”
He further said: “We wanted the election to be held within December, but the interim government aims to hold it by February. We want to have faith that the government will take all necessary steps, step by step, to ensure the election is held.”
When asked whether BNP would contest the election individually or through seat-sharing within an alliance, Tarique Rahman said: “Around 64 political parties tried to resist the former autocratic regime from their respective positions. We have always tried to work collectively. The 31-point state reform agenda we presented was initially proposed by BNP alone in 2016 as part of our Vision 2020 plan. Later, it was developed further into 27 points and, after consultations with allied parties, finalized as 31 points.”
“Our aim has always been to rebuild the state inclusively, incorporating the opinions of all parties that stood with us in the movement,” he added.
Regarding Khaleda Zia’s possible role in the election, he said that if her physical condition allows, she will certainly play some part.
Asked whether Dhaka University Central Students’ Union) politics would influence national politics, he said: “From what we have seen, individuals like Manna Bhai, who was Ducsu VP twice and is far more experienced in politics than I am, have expressed their views clearly. Student politics should remain in its sphere, and national politics in its own.”
On Jamaat-e-Islami, Tarique Rahman said: “As long as any political party operates within the recognized laws and regulations of Bangladesh, it has the right to practice politics. BNP has always believed in multiparty democracy, and we wish to view the matter from that perspective.”
Speaking about the Awami League, he said: “If the party, as an organization, has committed any wrongdoing, it should face justice under the country’s laws. The law will determine the outcome.”