BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday accused Jamaat-e-Islami of repeatedly maintaining secret alliances with “monstrous forces” and warned that attempts to belittle the 1971 Liberation War would not be tolerated.
“You have always played hide-and-seek. You have always made alliances with monstrous forces,” Rizvi said while addressing a protest procession organised by Muktijoddha Dal and Muktijoddha Projonmo Dal in protest against what they described as Jamaat’s “arrogant statements and activities” aimed at destabilising Bangladesh.
The procession began at the auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and ended in front of BNP's Naya Paltan office, with Rizvi attending it as the chief guest.
Rizvi said the country’s freedom enabled its people to speak freely, establish Bangla as the state language and identify themselves as Bangladeshis.“This is the achievement of 1971, the achievement of the war,” he said.
Rizvi accused those who opposed the country’s independence of trying to tarnish and underestimate the history of the Liberation War.
He alleged that those groups had informed the Pakistani occupation forces about the hideouts of freedom fighters who were conducting guerrilla warfare during the Liberation War.
“They have no history of heroism; they only have a history of collaboration,” Rizvi said, alleging that they continued their opportunistic and collaborative politics even after independence.
He accused Jamaat of repeatedly seeking favour from the Awami League, which he described as a “fascist, authoritarian one-party regime.”
Rizvi said Jamaat had formed an alliance with the Awami League and participated in the 1986 election, and later joined the election under HM Ershad.
Jamaat remained “underground and dormant” for 17 years and later participated in the 2008 election, which he described as a “staged election,” while pressuring BNP to participate.
“The consequences were not good for them, but even now they are trying to gain favour,” he said.
Referring to a statement by a Jamaat leader after August 5 that “all Awami League members would be forgiven”, Rizvi questioned whether the sacrifices of those killed during the July uprising would then become meaningless.
Rizvi also criticised Jamaat’s reported position on developing relations with a neighbouring country, alleging that the country kills Bangladeshis along the border, holds back river water and conducts anti-Bangladesh propaganda.
Referring to an exhibition organised around the official residence of Jamaat chief and Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Rizvi alleged that the exhibition covered events from 1971 to the July uprising but did not contain any photograph of Ziaur Rahman, whom he described as the country’s “greatest freedom fighter” and the “proclaimer of independence.”
Rizvi said 1971 was a source of immense pride for the people of Bangladesh and that his generation was the successor to the “bright and burning aspiration for independence” of that period.
He said the July uprising was also rooted in the spirit of 1971.
“When rights were curtailed again and the fascists took away the right to speak, July created a great revolution through a mass uprising,” he said.
“You cannot belittle or underestimate 1971. That will not happen. The path of 1971 led to 1990, and the path of 1971 led to July,” he said.
Explaining the strength of that legacy, Rizvi said Bangladeshis demonstrated during the Liberation War that ordinary people could take up rifles and fight, while freedom fighters could swim across rivers carrying Sten guns to attack enemy camps.
“That is our history, that is our heritage, and that is our proud asset. Today’s generation is the successor to that legacy. They created July,” he said.
Rizvi warned that attempts to strategically portray one historic event as bigger or smaller than another would not succeed.
“This nation became independent, and it also knows how to protect its independence. Twenty crore people of this country are always ready to defend our independence,” he said.