Exaggeration, propaganda and slander against BNP still in textbooks: Rizvi

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP, said that the ongoing narrative of exaggeration, propaganda, and slander, which has persisted throughout Sheikh Hasina's 16 years in power, continues to be reflected in the current textbooks.

Rizvi made the remarks in a press conference at the BNP central office in the city’s Naya Paltan area on Saturday.

Rizvi criticised what is written about BNP on page 73 of Civics and Citizenship (For Bangla Version) of NCTB textbox for classes 9-10.

The section of the textbook roughly translates to: “During the military rule of former army chief Major General Ziaur Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was founded on September 1, 1978. The party unified leaders and activists from various political ideologies, emphasizing Islamic values, Bangladeshi nationalism, democracy, and a free-market economy.”

Rizvi said that the textbook did not mention Ziaur Rahman as the first elected president of the country.

Rizvi criticised the book for identifying Ziaur Rahman as the former army chief instead of president.

The first direct presidential election of Bangladesh was held on June 3, 1978, where Ziaur Rahman secured his presidency.

In September of that year, the BNP was formed.

The political party contested the 1979 general election for the first time.

The textbook for Civics and Citizenship (For the Bangla Version) for the secondary classes was updated in October 2024 and is available on the NCTB website.

The English version counterpart of the textbook does not contain any reference to “military rule”.

The English version of the textbook also does not refer to Ziaur Rahman as a former army chief but as a major general.