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BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi
BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged that India is weaving a deep conspiracy against Bangladesh by providing sanctuary to ousted autocrat Sheikh Hasina and others accused of mass killings during the July uprising.
He made the remarks as the chief guest on Wednesday morning (September 16) at a demonstration organized by Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal and Projonmo Dal in front of the National Press Club. The gathering was presided over by Muktijoddha Dal President Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat and addressed by various central leaders.
Rizvi questioned India's friendly posture, pointing out that Hasina—whose hands he said are stained with the blood of 1,400 youths, students, and workers—and her associates responsible for shooting pro-democracy demonstrators are holed up in India. He noted that despite repeated official demands from Dhaka backed by judicial arrest warrants, New Delhi has refused extradition. Recalling how India previously extradited a former military officer convicted of assassinating Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Hasina’s government, Rizvi questioned India's true motives in refusing to hand over someone facing mass-murder charges.
Praising Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s decision to decline an invitation to the BRICS Summit, Rizvi said the premier was invited to sit on the sidelines as the BIMSTEC chair rather than being accorded an invitation befitting a sovereign head of state. He termed the boycott a defense of national sovereignty and dignity rather than a personal snub.
Rizvi further alleged that an artificial drama unfolded at the Adani power plant in Jharkhand, India, which suspended electricity supply to Bangladesh the day after the prime minister's BRICS announcement. Because the transmission switch is controlled within India, power supplies can be severed arbitrarily—a diplomatic pressure tactic that the general public clearly understands, he argued.
Reflecting on past bank looting, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings over the preceding 16 years, Rizvi asserted that the government formed through the August 5, 2024 revolution and the February 12, 2026 general election is committed to the rule of law and free expression. He stressed that even as opposition figures strongly criticize the administration inside and outside parliament, no one is subjected to abductions or extrajudicial murder.
Addressing current gas and power shortages, Rizvi stated that the crisis stems from the Iran-US war and bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz rather than domestic policy. He added that the government is actively securing alternative supplies from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar, while surging remittance flows have elevated foreign currency reserves to nearly three times the levels seen under the previous regime.
Condemning attempts to alter the identity of Madhur Canteen at Dhaka University, Rizvi termed efforts to rename it "Ishrat Manzil" an insult to martyr Madhu. He warned that any reactionary bid by anti-liberation forces to erase the achievements of 1971 would be firmly thwarted by students and freedom fighters.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/politics/1f1b1f5a-ca27-6d70-99f7-649ed85ee0da