BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina wrote the country's history and textbooks as she pleased.

He said this would not have been possible had there been democracy in the country. "It would not have been possible in any democratic country in the world, what Sheikh Hasina did. If real democracy comes, real history will be written and real research will be done, research whose results will let us take the country forward," he said.

He was speaking on Tuesday (17 June) afternoon at the launch of a tree-planting programme organised by Amra BNP Paribar at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital. The programme marked the birth anniversary of Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman.

The BNP senior joint secretary general said the crisis is not yet over and much work remains to bring back and establish democracy. "We have to bring back democracy, firmly establish it and build the edifice of democracy. And we are getting signs of the role Tarique Rahman will play in rebuilding our democracy," he said.

Rizvi said Sheikh Hasina had run a terrible propaganda campaign against the BNP for the past 16 years and that the propaganda is still going on. He also said the BNP is working under Tarique Rahman's leadership to restore democracy.

The BNP leader said even people like Dr Zubaida Rahman were not spared the persecution of fascism. "Dr Zubaida Rahman is the child of a renowned family. They filed false cases in her name too. Yet she is a person of humble sincerity, unique in political courtesy and civility, and they did not spare her either. She was harassed in various ways and false cases were filed," he said.

Present were BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, treasurer M Rashiduzzaman Millat, assistant organising secretary Aminul Islam, Amra BNP Paribar convener and senior journalist Atikur Rahman Rumon, member secretary and agriculturist Mokchhedul Momin Mithun, and journalist Zahidul Islam Roni, among others. The leaders later visited the grave of BNP founder the late President Ziaur Rahman and joined prayers for the peace of his soul.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.