BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said his party will govern in a spirit of unity if it wins the upcoming national election.
Speaking virtually from London, Rahman told supporters that both the interim government and the Election Commission have set February for the vote. He urged citizens from all walks of life to support BNP’s electoral symbol, the “sheaf of paddy.”
“If you vote for the sheaf of paddy, we will build the nation together,” he said.
Speaking at an event for International Youth Day, Rahman laid out his views during a panel called “Youth Assembly’s Expectations and BNP’s Plans.” The Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Jatiyatabadi Swechhasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal organized the gathering at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
He outlined BNP’s focus on building a technology-driven youth workforce. Creating jobs for the unemployed, he said, was the party’s primary goal. “Take BNP’s people-oriented action plans to every citizen,” he told the audience. “If the people’s mandate allows BNP to govern, we will implement these plans step by step.”
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Rahman said more than half of Bangladesh’s population is of working age, describing this as a chance for a “demographic dividend.” He called for equipping young people with technical and vocational skills and spoke of reviving the Notun Kuri program with a sports category to identify and train athletes. “We must make sports education part of the curriculum and treat sports as a profession,” he added.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir drew a parallel to former president Ziaur Rahman’s three-year plan. He said party members must go to villages, markets, farms, and ports to connect with voters. “The revolution of Tarique Rahman must succeed, and we believe the young generation will make it happen,” he said.
Gono Songhoti Andolon’s chief coordinator Zonayed Saki described Bangladesh as being at a “historic turning point,” urging youth involvement in the shift from what he called a “fascist system” to a democratic one.
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Bobby Hajjaj, chairman of the National Democratic Movement, praised BNP’s stance against extortion and its willingness to discipline members.
The February election will be the first in more than a decade without the ruling Awami League’s long-standing dominance guaranteed. Whether BNP’s youth-focused pitch will sway enough voters remains uncertain, but the party is clearly banking on it.
