Relations with neighbors should be friendly, not like husband-wife: Gayeshwar Roy

BNP Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said that as an independent sovereign state, Bangladesh wants friendship with everyone, but that relationship can never go to the level of slavery. Friendship will be based on equality, it is not a 'husband-wife relationship'.

He said these things while participating in the discussion of the motion of thanks brought on the President's address in the session of the National Parliament on Thursday (April 30).

Gayeshwar Chandra Roy recalled Shaheed Zia's political philosophy in his speech and said, 'Ziaur Rahman did not like flattery and believed that criticism is the beauty of democracy. When Ziaur Rahman called for war on March 26, 1971, he called on the nation not to defend itself but to expel the Pakistani occupying forces. However, during that turbulent time, many big leaders were seen giving instructions to be cautious instead of war. He regretted that many of the current generation do not want to properly evaluate the contribution of Shaheed Zia.

Regarding the country's contemporary politics and relations with neighboring countries, this senior leader said, "Bangladesh wants friendship with everyone for economic reasons, but that friendship will never be transformed into slavery. Relations with neighboring countries must be based on equality, not by sacrificing national interests. There will be friendship with neighbors, but it should never be like a "husband-wife relationship". Maintaining the national interests of an independent and sovereign Bangladesh will be our main priority."

He also said, "Although the country has achieved independence, real liberation has not yet come. With the change in climate and political thinking, the aspirations of the new generation that have arisen must be fulfilled by embracing the present in the light of past experiences."

Praising Khaleda Zia's uncompromising leadership, Gayeshwar Roy said, "Obaidul Quader once asked Khaleda Zia to apologize. But today she is recognized as the "Mother of Democracy" by the people of Bangladesh. He never bowed his head on the issue of democracy.’ Referring to the conspiracy during 1/11, he said, ‘When many leaders left the party in the face of depoliticization at that time, the leaders and activists of the grassroots became Khaleda Zia’s strength. She served time in jail but did not leave the country.’ Criticizing the role of the then leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, he said that even though they refused to stand by the BNP in times of danger, Khaleda Zia always showed generosity by demanding transparency in their trials.

Regarding the mass uprising of the students and the public in July-August, this BNP leader said, ‘When the anti-discrimination student movement started, the BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, decided to provide moral and all-out support to this movement as soon as possible. This is not the achievement of a single party, but the result of the collective sacrifices of people from all levels of the BNP, from students of private universities to school-going teenagers and the grassroots level. Along with those who are in parliament today, countless ordinary people and political activists fought for this fascism-free Bangladesh.

Comparing the context of the Liberation War and the current geopolitics, he said, "From the partition of 1947 to the language movement of 1952 and the Liberation War of 1971, everything was based on freedom from deprivation and exploitation. Yet even today, we are unable to uphold our national dignity in our relations with foreign countries. He complained that in many cases, we are deviating from the national goal due to lack of sincerity and political kneeling policies. We will not forget the past, but our biggest challenge is to stand tall in the current global reality."

Reminiscing about the founding of BNP, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said that he was very fortunate to have witnessed the birth of BNP under the guidance of Shaheed Zia. He said that he personally did not do politics for any privileges and said that after the Liberation War, he tore up his original certificate after seeing the dominance of fake certificate holders. Because he did not expect anything in return for the war. He urged the party leaders and activists to not just mention the names of Ziaur Rahman or Khaleda Zia, but to prove their true patriotism by following their ideals and the path they have shown.