Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, a member of BNP's standing committee on Saturday said that under no circumstances will anyone be allowed to take the fruits of the movement alone.
"The people of this country will never let that happen," he said.
He made these comments during the distribution of winter clothes to the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and orphaned students of the madrasa at Hakimpur upazila parishad hall, organized by the upazila and municipal BNP.
He distributed winter clothes to 1,500 people in need.
Dr Zahid further said: "During the July-August uprising, the student masses, along with people from all walks of life and political leaders, participated in the movement. The autocratic rule of July 36, or August 5, fled the country. This movement belongs to everyone; it is a movement against discrimination, initiated by the students but later transformed into a mass uprising with the participation of the people. We salute everyone involved. This victory is for everyone."
He added: "Today, some are talking about declaring reforms. We need to think about how, if there were no Pakistan in 1947, the language movement of 1952 would not have taken place. If there was no language movement, the student movement of 1962 would not have occurred. And if the student movement of 1962 did not take place, there would not have been the mass uprising of 1969. Without the 1969 uprising, there would not have been the liberation war of 1971. Thus, one event is connected to another. Therefore, we cannot deny the sacrifices made."
He said: "We must also remember that those who have oppressed and tortured us—justice must be served on this land of Bengal. No matter what, the oppressors, the criminals who inflicted injustice on us, causing our brothers to be martyred, disappeared, or disabled, must be brought to justice here in Bengal. There is no room for compromise on this issue."
The BNP leader said that the sooner the people are given the opportunity to make decisions, the sooner they will choose the correct leadership to take responsibility for running the country. "Only then will the chaos in the country end, and the conspirators' plots will stop," he said.
Dr Zahid added: "The justice we demand for the lives lost will be served. Those who have plundered our wealth and fled abroad—recovering those assets and strengthening Bangladesh's economy, and bringing the plunderers and murderers to justice, the sooner it is done, the sooner the country will move forward."