Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the government's initiative to stop extortion and control prices of daily necessities is low. The interim government was formed in the midst of a revolution. This government will have to fulfill the expectations of the people. If there is a shortfall in fulfilling those expectations, the political parties will speak according to the people's thoughts.

He said this while speaking at a winter clothing distribution program of these nationalist parties in Mohammadpur area of the capital, on Sunday (December 15) afternoon.

Regarding the issue of stopping extortion to control prices of daily necessities, he said, "Catch the extortionists at every corner of the road. Many times, the police stop food trucks and collect extortion. If they stop them, the prices will come down. We are not saying that any government official is doing this. But if there were strong administrative instructions, there would be no extortion on the streets. If this situation cannot give people relief compared to the previous period, then people will be disappointed." The prices of food and daily necessities have not decreased.

When there was no democracy, we had to protest. We had to stand against Sheikh Hasina, ignoring the red eyes of Sheikh Hasina, especially in front of her administration, with courage in our chest. Many of them have been arrested, many have died. In the normal situation of the country, the peasant party will work for agricultural development. If the boys who have passed out of the university work for the farmers, the development of agriculture will be rapid. The government should pay attention to this so that people do not go hungry. This is their job.

Addressing the interim government, Rizvi said, people will move freely. No one will be under threat. But if you nurture Sheikh Hasina's friends in the administration you are the SP in Narayanganj who is involved in the murder of Jubo Dal's Shaon. If you make that SP the DC headquarters then how will you stop extortion, murder, and violence from the society. You see who is doing wrong. Arrest him, bring him under the law. You cannot establish the rule of law by giving a good posting to the injured police officer.

In response to an adviser's recent statement on political reforms, Rizvi said, this is a kind of egotistical expression. Who created 1971, who won the war, and who won another victory for democracy by removing Ershad, is this contribution of civil society, then civil society supported it. I will tell the adviser that I see the revival of Moinuddin- Fakhruddin in your speech. This cannot be. Rather, the so-called reforms of Moinuddin and Fakhrudin have resulted in an authoritarian, fascist like Hasina, who destroyed all the institutions of democracy and ruled as an empress. If you speak against her, you will either go to jail, or there would be bodies lying on the streets, rivers and canals. This is the result of that organization.

He also said, if you carry out real reforms. Then it should not be so late to establish elections, the essential parts of democracy, the rule of law, etc. You could have strengthened the judiciary during your tenure. There has been no progress at all. You have been in power for a long time and the political parties have shown arrogance that no organization has done in 50 years, but people will turn their backs on you. They will think that you are working with malicious intentions. Sheikh Hasina has misdirected democracy for the last 15 years. People will think that you may not want to return that right to vote. Such fears will be created among the people. What you will do is to convey to the people the optimism that they can vote very soon, that elections can be held. That effort is reform. Do that work very quickly.

The interim government has been formed in the midst of a revolution. This government has to meet the expectations of the people. If there is a shortfall in meeting those expectations, the political parties will speak according to the people's thoughts. The government is unable to reduce the prices of daily essential food items in any way. We have said, you should sell products at wholesale prices in the market. Catch the syndicate hawkers. Bring those who are already doing this work in collaboration with the syndicate and the evil circle under the law on a large scale. Then you will automatically see that the prices will come down. Make arrangements to bring the products produced by farmers in the field to the market quickly. In the meantime, so that the middlemen cannot interfere, so that their black hands cannot be extended. Identify them. Bring them under the law. Peace and order and extortion must be controlled in the area. A political party cannot stop extortion. They can control their own party. The government must take responsibility to stop extortion.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged the interim government not to make political parties its opponents.

He said this as the chief guest at a discussion organized at the Institute of Engineers (IEB) in the capital on Friday (December 13) afternoon to mark the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

The BNP Secretary General said, we have given them the responsibility to create an environment for a fair election. Especially, we, on behalf of BNP, have supported them from the beginning, we are still supporting them and we are supporting them even at this moment because we want them to complete the work and give the people the opportunity to elect their representatives.

At the same time, he urged the interim government not to make political parties its opponents.

Expressing anger over Advisor Nahid's statement that political parties are working to fail the interim government and demanding its withdrawal, he said, "Yesterday I saw an adviser comment that political parties are working to fail the interim government. I don't know why, in what context, why he did it. I don't know whether he understood the depth of this statement or not. This is a very serious statement. This government is an interim government. We, who have been protesting, have given this government the responsibility so that they can create a fair environment for the elections." Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "But when he says this, it is a very serious accusation. I strongly condemn it. I think he should withdraw such a statement. And I want to remind you, please don't make political parties your opponents. Political parties are cooperating with you, it is the responsibility of political parties." If you say there, we are trying to fail....we have said it a thousand times, our chairman has said that if this government fails, it means the people will fail, we will fail.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has called on everyone to work together to build a Bangladesh as dreampt by martyred intellectuals.

He said this in a message on the occasion of Martyred Intellectuals Day on Friday (December 13).

He said, "On the occasion of Martyred Intellectuals Day, I pay my humble respects to the immortal memory of the first-class martyred intellectuals of the country who were martyred at the hands of the invading forces and their allies during the Liberation War in 1971. I pray for the forgiveness of their souls."

Referring to Martyred Intellectuals Day as a touching and sorrowful day in the history of the nation, Tarique Rahman said, "The immortal intellectuals are the best children of the country who were born in a short time, who wanted to see a prosperous and high-headed nation. They expected a democratic state free from exploitation based on justice." But the 'friends' of the invading forces carried out this massacre planned to demoralize independent Bangladesh on the eve of the final victory.

The Acting Chairman of the BNP said that immediately after independence, undemocratic forces, like the Pakistani invading forces, started taking away the universal democratic rights of the people of the country one by one, weakening the independence and sovereignty of our state, which was obtained in exchange for a river of blood and sacrifice, day by day and shattering the hopes of the martyred intellectuals in building a democratic state and society.

In a message criticizing the Awami League, the second-in-command of the BNP said that by carrying on the tradition of that misrule, their successors, the Awami fascists, created obstacles in the way of building a united nation and national progress through division, disunity and narrow-mindedness, disappearances, murder and crossfire, and sent democracy into exile. Therefore, instead of democratic development of our state and turning the country into a prosperous, self-reliant and strong state, it creates an atmosphere of one-party misrule.

He said, in today's changed political situation, we have to unite again and practice true democracy. We have to build the lost rule of law, independent judiciary and a political system of pluralism and path. In this regard, the martyred intellectuals will continue to serve as our source of inspiration.

Expressing deep condolences to the families of the martyred intellectuals, Tarique Rahman said, on this sorrowful day today, I appeal to the countrymen - let us work together to build Bangladesh of the expectations of the martyred intellectuals.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that the fascist regime (Awami League) has implemented a huge project to create a talentless nation, starting from the bureaucracy of Bangladesh.

He said this at a discussion meeting organized on the occasion of Martyred Intellectuals Day at the Institute of Engineers (IEB) in the capital on Friday (December 13) afternoon.

Criticizing the Awami League, Salahuddin Ahmed said that during the past fascism, a project was taken to end the entire education system of Bangladesh in a systematic way, through various processes. In many cases, it has been successful.

He said, what has happened in Bangladesh through increasing the marks, leaking the question papers and partisanizing the Public Service Commission, this fascist regime has implemented a huge project to create a nation without talent, starting from the bureaucracy of Bangladesh, by ending not only the education system in this country but also the working population that is created through the education system.

He said, those countries are the most developed, the country where the library is the most developed, the country where the number of universities is high. Pakistan had finished off the intellectuals of that country to finish off a country.

This member of the BNP Standing Committee said where we stand now, to make our society an intellectual, knowledge-based system, to establish a state system without discrimination. We have to undertake enough projects to see how we can form this nation into a well-educated, intellectual, knowledge-based nation.

Also present were BNP Standing Committee members Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram; Selina Rahman; Moin Uddin, BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, BNP Central Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, among others.