BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Wednesday said that a strange Awami League-style democracy has been prevailing in the country. Bangladesh’s national parliament is unique as there is no difference between the ruling and the opposition party, he said while addressing the Jatiyatabadi Tanti Dal’s 44th founding anniversary as the chief guest held at the Jatiya Press Club.

“It’s a strange kind of parliament where the ruling party has 337 seats while the opposition party has 13 with the ruling Awami League’s mercy. Independent members of parliament are not different as they are Awami League members,” he added.

Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member, said: “We didn’t fight against Pakistan in 1971 for such type of democracy. Our democracy was buried in 1975 when the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BaKSAL) was formed. President Ziaur Rahman had restored democracy by empowering people and giving back their voting rights.”

Later, in 1982 autocrat H M Earshed ruined our democracy and again it was brought back on right track by Begum Khaleda Zia in 1991, he continued.

No political party except BNP has sacrificed much for restoring democracy in the country, Nazrul said adding that their thousands of their leaders and activists have been in jail and Begum Zia and Tarique Rahman were convicted in ‘false’ cases.

The BNP leader said nowadays the wavers are struggling for their existence.  “Their achievements are being snatched by others. Our Tangail saree is no longer our product as its GI (Geographical Identification) recognition was snatched by neighbor India.”

Nazrul Islam asked the weavers community to get united and wage a movement for ousting the ‘dummy government’. The program was presided over by the Tanti Dal joint convener Golam Mawla Khan Bablu and moderated by member secretary Haji Mojibur Rahman and senior member Milon Islam Khan.

BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council Member Zainul Abedin Farroque, organizing secretary Abdus Salam Azad, and information and research affairs secretary Riyaz Uddin Nasu, among others, spoke.