
Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Hasnat Abdullah, chief organizer for the southern region of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has alleged that those who "ruled Bangladesh in the past" have made either New Delhi or London their second homes, after looting the country and fleeing abroad.
He made these remarks while addressing a rally at Biplob Udyan in the No 2 Gate area of Chittagong on Sunday night.
Hasnat said the new generation has now awakened and cannot be bought with money—even Sheikh Hasina could not do it—and that it is this generation that will build the future of Bangladesh.
He added: “On July 16 last year, a resistance was built in Dhaka. A day before that, Chhatra League had been resisted right here in Chittagong. This city is a city of struggle, a city of resistance."
“We overthrew the dictatorship, but we have yet to build a successful state. Now we must focus on building that state," Hasnat said.
Meanwhile, NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain told the rally: “The people of Bangladesh have long been deprived of their civic rights. They are harassed at the passport office, education boards, police stations, and the secretariat. This must end.”
He added: “Divisions were created among the people of this country in the past—between Bengalis and non-Bengalis, between Sunnis and non-Sunnis. These divisions must not continue.”
He also said: “The people of Chittagong are religious-minded. In the past, people were persecuted for practising their faith. That will no longer be tolerated.”