Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday said he was ready to sacrifice his life for the country if necessary but would not allow the people’s rights to be taken away.
He made the remarks while addressing an election rally of the 11-party alliance in front of Petrobangla at Karwan Bazar in the capital.
The Jamaat ameer alleged that extortion drives prices up fourfold from farmers to consumers, leaving farmers deprived of fair prices while everyone else suffers. Claiming that the situation in Bangladesh would change from February 13, he said, “We will not engage in extortion, nor will we allow anyone else to do so.”
Referring to BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman’s comments questioning why Jamaat’s two ministers did not resign when Bangladesh was branded a champion of corruption, Shafiqur Rahman said Jamaat leaders remained in office to ensure that at least three ministries stayed free from corruption.
He reiterated that the country’s situation would change following the 13th National Parliamentary Election scheduled for February 12, starting from February 13.
Issuing a warning over the killing of a Jamaat leader in Sherpur in what he described as an alleged BNP attack, he said: “It is now the middle of Magh (winter). If heads are already this hot now, what will happen in Chaitra (summer)? Nothing can be achieved by force.”
After the Karwan Bazar rally, the Jamaat ameer was scheduled to campaign in Mirpur in the afternoon and later at the Banani field.
