A Correspondent:
Khulna: BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday said it is not possible to move the country forward by keeping women behind as they are representing almost half of the country’s total population.
In this context, he said that no development initiatives can be succeeded without ensuring women’s ac-tive participation.
The BNP Chief made the remarks while addressing an election rally organized by Khulna Metropolitan and District BNP at Prabhati School ground in Khalishpur.
Noting that Bangladesh has a population of around 200 million and of which nearly half are women, he said adding sidelining such a vast segment of society would make any plan for national progress futile.
Tarique Rahman recalled that former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia had introduced free education for girls from school to intermediate level to ensure women empowerment so that they could stand on their own feet.
Criticizing what he described as an anti-women remark by a certain political party ahead of the election, he said one party has openly declared that it does not believe in women’s leadership.
He also condemned the use of indecent language by a leader of that party towards working women, call-ing it as a disgrace not only for women but for the entire country.
He said millions of women are contributing to the national economy, particularly in the readymade gar-ments sector, while women from lower-middle and middle-income families are working alongside their husbands to cope with rising commodity prices. “So, insulting working women is unacceptable,” he add-ed.
Referring to Islamic history, Tarique Rahman said those, who speak of establishing Islam should re-member that Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) wife Hazrat Bibi Khadija (RA) was a successful business woman. No one has the right to demean women’s professional lives.
The BNP chairman also alleged that false propaganda was being spread over the hacking of the X (for-merly Twitter) handle of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman.
“A section of people is trying to create confusion claiming that vote counting would take a long time,” he said describing it as a fresh conspiracy ahead of the polls.
He added that experts have clearly stated that there is no possibility of such hacking in the manner being claimed.
Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh must move forward through real work, not mere rhetoric, and empha-sized that the country must be rebuilt by including people of all parties, classes and professions. “Nation-al reconstruction is impossible by relying on only one group.”
Referring to the upcoming general election slated for February 12, he said BNP and its electoral symbol ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ organized the rally as part of the campaign.
He alleged that over the past 15–16 years, BNP has carried out numerous movements during which many leaders and activists were subjected to enforced disappearances, killings and murders, while thou-sands and lakhs of activists from BNP and other political parties faced harassment, torture and fabricated cases.
He further said that people of Bangladesh have been deprived of their voting rights for the last 16 years, not only in national elections but also in local government polls.
Tarique Rahman said that ahead of the election, a political party has openly declared that it does not be-lieve in women’s leadership.
He said a leader of that party recently used indecent language against working women, which is shame-ful even to mention. Those who disrespect women and snatch away people’s voting rights can never be patriotic or pro-people.
He said millions of women working in the garment sector are keeping the wheel of national economy moving, while women from lower-middle and middle-class families are working alongside their hus-bands to cope with soaring prices of essentials.
“Yet these very women are being humiliated today,” he added.
He further alleged that facing widespread criticism, the concerned political party took shelter behind the excuse of ID hacking, but experts have clearly stated that there is no scope for such hacking in the man-ner claimed.
“By deceiving people ahead of the election, they are exposing their true character,” he said.
Later, he introduced, holding hands, the party-nominated 14 parliamentary candidates from Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts.
With Khulna city BNP President SM ShafiqulAlam Mona in the chair, parliamentary candidates from Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira, leaders of BNP’s front organizations, and local party leaders, among others, addressed the rally, which was conducted by Khulna city BNP General Secretary SM ShafiqulAlam Tuhin.
Tarique Rahman began his speech at 12:45 pm and concluded it at around 1:15 pm. A large number of leaders and activists from Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts attended the rally.
