Staff Reporter:
BNP Vice-Chairman Barkatullah Bulu yesterday said that Khaleda Zia would become president and Tarique Rahman prime minister if the party wins next year’s general election.
“Fifty percent of our voters are women, and Khaleda Zia became prime minister in 1991 with their votes. In the February 2026 election, these mothers and sisters will again vote to make the sheaf of pad-dy victorious…through this vote, Begum Khaleda Zia will become the president of Bangladesh while Tarique Rahman the prime minister,” he said.
The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking at a doa and milad program organized by Zia Mancha at the Bhasani Bhaban in the capital’s Nayapaltan area, seeking divine blessings for the speedy recovery of ailing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Bulu urged the people of the country to pray to Allah for Khaleda’s quick recovery. “We have come here yesterday to pray that the Almighty Allah keeps Begum Khaleda Zia alive. If she lives, we will live and Bangladesh will live.”
He alleged that various plots are being hatched to destabilize the country and put its existence at risk.
“To free the country from the conspiracy being carried out against it, the nationalist forces now need unity. Begum Khaleda Zia is the symbol of that unity. Let us all pray to the Almighty Allah for her. May she recover quickly and may she return to work among us as before. She is the source of inspiration for our nationalist politics,” the BNP leader said.
He recalled Khaleda’s contribution to the BNP, saying that although people from different parties and sections of society came together under the leadership of Shaheed Zia to form the BNP, it was Khaleda Zia who truly turned it into a complete and functional political party.
Bulu said Khaleda spent nine years travelling across the country, working closely with grassroots activ-ists, and transformed the BNP into a major political organization and the most popular political party.
He described BNP’s 31-point outline as “a charter for Bangladesh’s freedom for the next 100 years”, adding that no one could present a better roadmap. “Reform is a continuous process and will continue from the beginning of time until the Day of Judgement.”
Bulu also criticised those who use religion in politics for narrow gains, saying the nation now faces dif-ficult questions.
