BNP leader Fazlur Rahman's full response to show cause notice

BNP Chairperson's adviser freedom fighter Advocate Fazlur Rahman has responded to the show cause notice issued by the party due to his 'controversial' remarks. In his response, he gave a detailed explanation of his long political journey with BNP, his position as a heroic freedom fighter, and the criticism of the statements of Jamaat-Shibir and NCP leaders. He mentioned that if there is a mistake in any of his statements, he will accept the action taken by the party.

Fazlur Rahman responded to the show cause notice to the party on his pad on Tuesday (August 26).

The veteran politician responded to the show cause notice separately on 11 points. The details of which are as follows:

1. When the anti-quota movement was first started under the leadership of students, it was non-partisan in nature and excluded political demands. I was the first to encourage them through YouTube, giving a speech, 'Sons, you only want jobs, don't you want democracy? You should agitate for democracy.'

2. I was also involved in everything despite the fear of life which my party and all the people of this country know.

3. On October 28, 2023, the BNP called for a mass gathering of thousands of people, which was broken up by the autocratic government in a 1-hour attack. When more than twenty-five thousand leaders and activists were in jail, when thousands of leaders and activists were trying their best to save their lives after being caught in a web of false cases, standing at the crossroads of life and death, I encouraged the leaders and activists every day through online and television talk shows and kept the light of hope alive before the nation.

4. With the victory of the August 5 movement, the fascist forces including Sheikh Hasina fled and the people emerged victorious; I was the happiest at that time. But a few days later, Sarjis Alam, one of the leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement, stood at the Suhrawardy Udyan conference of the ‘Islami Chhatra Shibir’ and declared in a loud voice – ‘Jamaat-Shibir was the main vanguard of the July Movement’. I counted the mistakes that day and they took all the victories of the movement for themselves.

5. I have protested against this immoral demand of Jamaat-Shibir and the anti-discrimination students a hundred times. In the past 15 years of movement, the ground was prepared by the BNP. However, the leaders of the student movement harvested the fruit. They were ‘Dawal (labourers)’ in my words, so their demand to become the vanguard of the movement is inappropriate.

6. But later, everyone was surprised to see that the defeated force of 71, Jamaat-Shibir, had proudly appeared on the field and was claiming that they were the vanguard of all movements and that they were not protesting just for an election, but rather they started showing the audacity to deny the 71 liberation war. When the Jamaat-Shibir newspaper was called out, it said, "Those who fought with weapons in 71 should ask Allah for forgiveness." (Source: Various national daily newspapers). Since that day, I have tried to warn them as 'freedom fighters' through various statements.

7. Since then, Jamaat-Shibir and NCP started saying together that 1947 was the first independence and 2024 was the second independence, and 1971 was a fight between brothers. (Source: Various national daily newspapers). As a freedom fighter, I felt that I should have died before hearing these unheard of and false information. So, facing life and death, I started speaking the truth of the Liberation War and identified Jamaat-Shibir as the 'black power' and called NCP their ally. They have now taken over all the administration, finance and universities in the country.

8. Finally, I would like to say that people are now starting to understand that there were two forms of the July Movement. First, the 'mass movement' 'led by the nationalist forces including BNP', whose aim was to defeat the fascist Hasina government and establish a democratic government. The main slogan of which was 'One point, one demand, Hasina, when will you go'. But those whom I have called the 'black power' of darkness are the Jamaat-Shibir who are creating new conspiracies and forces against independence and the Liberation War by exploiting the fruits of the mass movement through conspiracies. National elections are a secondary matter for them.

9. My beloved party BNP is the largest political party in the country founded by the great proclaimer of the Liberation War, Major Zia, later martyred President Ziaur Rahman. With respect and remembrance of his great memory, I consider it my sacred duty as a freedom fighter to continuously speak and protest against this evil force. For the past 6 months, I have been giving hundreds of speeches in this regard, and I may have made some mistakes in one or two of these speeches, because I am human. I would also like to claim that after the dictatorial Hasina government unjustly threw the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia into prison, I ignored the bloodshot eyes of the dictatorial government and spoke at hundreds of meetings and public gatherings all over Bangladesh for the release of my leader. Even recently, in the midst of an unfortunate murder, our beloved leader Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the party, was being politically insulted with such heinous and ugly slogans, then I was the first to strongly speak out against it on the YouTube channel.

10. In my overall presentation, if it is proven that I have made any wrong statement, then I will express my regret.

11. I have not said or done anything that would harm my beloved party BNP and I will not do it. I have the utmost respect for the judgment of the leadership of the nationalist party.

I have high confidence, hope I will get justice and will always be loyal to any decision in the greater interest of the party.