Khosru: BNP aims to defeat AL through the ballot

BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury stated on Tuesday that the Awami League should be defeated through the democratic process of voting, not by any other means.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion, he emphasized that Bangladesh can only get back on track if democracy is restored and the people's ownership of the country is re-established through a fair national election. "If we try to remove the Awami League through any means other than voting, it will not be sustainable. The fascists must be decisively defeated through the power of the vote. Any attempt to do so by other means will yield no benefit," the BNP leader stated.

The event, titled "Take Back Bangladesh: Citizen Thoughts," was organized by Voice of Democracy and Voter Rights at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

Khosru, a member of the BNP standing committee, asserted that the people of Bangladesh would not accept any new narrative on state reforms presented by the unelected government. "An unelected government has no right to carry out reforms based solely on its own views and ideology. They can only implement reforms agreed upon by all political parties. Our BNP has no objection to this. They can carry out reforms that will help quickly restore a democratic order based on national consensus," he added. He also pointed out that political parties would present their own reform proposals to the people during elections.

"The people will decide and pass them in the next parliament. But any narrative created without involving the people will not be acceptable to the nation," Khosru said.

He reminded that past leaders like Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, autocratic ruler Ershad, and fascist leader Sheikh Hasina all introduced various narratives that were ultimately rejected by the people. "We hope we won’t hear any new narratives now. The only narrative should be returning the people’s ownership of the country through free and fair elections. The people of Bangladesh will decide the country’s future direction," Khosru affirmed.

The BNP leader also noted that their party had envisioned building a new Bangladesh through reforms grounded in pluralistic democracy long before the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. "Now many are talking about reforms as if it is a new idea, but for BNP, reforms are not new," he stated.

He further recalled that BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had proposed a reform plan through Vision 2030 in 2016, and Tarique Rahman had also presented a 31-point reform plan based on the consensus of all parties involved in the simultaneous movement over a year ago.

“The BNP not only presented the 31-point reform proposal based on unity, but also stated that it would be implemented by forming a national government, if the people support the party through elections,” Khosru added.

He reiterated that state reforms must be carried out based on national consensus and the full support of the people. "This can only be achieved by an elected government."

Khosru assured that the BNP is committed to implementing the 31-point reforms. He emphasized that their party has long been leading the movement for democracy, human rights, and voting rights.

"Our journey on the streets is not over yet. We must swiftly establish an elected parliament and government that will be accountable to the people," he concluded.

Khosru also stated that the BNP would not allow the interim government to fail, offering full support and cooperation for a swift democratic transition. "We brought down Sheikh Hasina’s government together. Now, we will work together to rebuild Bangladesh based on national unity. We will steer the country back on the right track, building a free, democratic, and humane Bangladesh," he asserted.