President of Gana Odhikar Parishad and former VP of Daksu Nurul Haque Noor commented that elections before state reform will not change the fate of the people.
He made this comment in the speech of the chief guest at the Rangpur divisional assembly at the Rangpur district school grounds on Friday afternoon. Rangpur Metropolitan and District Committee of Gana Odhikar Parishad organized this rally in memory of the martyrs and injured in the mass uprising and to build a discrimination-free Bangladesh.
Nurul Haque Noor said, 'There will be a call to the interim government that the people's desire to build a new Bangladesh after this coup d'état has been created, you should think about state reform and elections at the same time by giving priority to that public desire. Holding elections before reforming the state will not change the fate of the people. Political parties were in power for 53 years. Today we have seen the right to vote, the desire for justice, the torture and oppression by the law and order forces, the anti-people stance, in all the governments that are in power. We want people-friendly administration, people-friendly law enforcement and those who will be in power, not to consider power as a matter of enjoyment. By prioritizing public service, they will decide the political policy and put the people in power, decide who will be the people's representatives.'
Calling upon the youth to be in the field in the struggle to build a new Bangladesh, remembering the sacrifice of Abu Sayeed, former VP Nurul Haque Noor said, Abu Sayeed is the product of your greater Rangpur region. Don't forget the heroic contribution of Abu Saeed. Let there be various institutions in the name of Abu Saeed.
He also said, 'Those who cheated and begged for votes from the people, said to be friends of the poor-sad, hard-working people, went to Singapore to become MP-ministers, made second homes in USA-UK-Malaysia, educated boys and girls in advanced schools but It is time to turn away from the fraudulent public representatives who have not improved the fortunes of the people of the neglected Rangpur region. Abu Saeed's self-sacrifice and the struggle of the youth proved that only the youth can work uncompromisingly on the question of the country. We want to build the Bangladesh of the future with those young people.'
The president of Gana Odhikar Parishad Nurul Haque Noor urged the party leaders and workers to prepare from the grass roots level for the local government elections before the National Assembly elections.
He said, 'In the future, political parties are proposing proportional elections, bicameral parliament and reform of four-year parliament. The issue of proportional election is that if this People's Rights Council gets 50 percent of the votes in the whole country, then the People's Rights Council will have 150 MPs. If a party gets 10 percent of the vote, it will have 30 MPs. If a party gets even one percent of votes it will have 3 MPs. Only this proportional election can bring a balance in politics. In order to prevent a government from becoming a dictator in the future, so that a fascist system does not develop, it is necessary to discuss what will be the state and political system from now on.'
Noor also said, 'The misrule of Awami fascism has come to an end through the bloody struggle of the students in the July mass coup. But we can see that those who have established fascism as friends of Awami League have not stopped flourishing all over Bangladesh. Ugly comments were made about the leaders of the People's Rights Council in this Rangpur soil as well. We strongly condemn and protest today's rally. We want to say clearly, the soil of Rangpur wet with the blood of Abu Saeed, the soil of the entire Bangladesh wet with the blood of the students, that blood stain has not dried yet. Those who will try to rehabilitate the Awami League with the students must give a proper answer.'
Referring to Jatiya Party as a friend of fascism, Nurul Haque Noor said, 'Fascism has no place in post-coup Bangladesh. There is no place for Awami Bakshalis in our democratic Bangladesh. There will be no place for those who were friends of Awami League. We request the authorities and the law enforcement agencies to arrest the perpetrators and accomplices of the perpetrators and bring relief to the people of Rangpur and all over Bangladesh. If you (the administration) fail to take legal action, the people will take the law into their own hands. But we don't want people to do that. We want to stabilize this government to perpetuate the change that has come through the bloody struggle and sacrifice of the students. We want to cooperate with the law enforcement forces and we want to create mass wave under the leadership of Gana Odhikar Parishad, the political party of youth in building the future Bangladesh. In the future, the People's Rights Council will hold elections in 300 seats. We want to empower common people, we want to advance backward Rangpur.'
The former VP of Daksu said, 'No government has been able to solve the problem of Teesta in 53 years of independence through proper planning. There is no good medical institution in Rangpur region. One university does not cover the whole of Rangpur. 47 percent of the people of this backward Rangpur are poor. But Rangpur is the place with the most potential in agriculture in Bangladesh. A new industrial policy is needed to make Rangpur an agricultural hub with emphasis on agriculture, development of industrial zones is necessary. More than 10 agricultural products of Rangpur region including sweet pumpkin, Haribhanga mango, potato are exported abroad. If Rangpur's agricultural policy is given importance and projects are taken to improve the fate of the people of this region, then not only Rangpur but the whole of Bangladesh will benefit. Why should we bring onions-chili from India? Why are we not giving importance to the farmers of our country? We have to think about these things.'
Rashed Khan, general secretary of Gana Odhikar Parishad, as the main speaker in the rally, said, 'The people of Rangpur are very peaceful and easy-going. But the role played by peace-loving people in building a new state is rare, memorable and glorious in history. Shaheed Abu Saeed is the visionary and craftsman of this new Bangladesh. Abu Saeed showed us the dream of new Bangladesh. The dream of those who gave their blood and life in the July revolution was to reform a new Bangladesh state. Now we will all cooperate with the interim government. So that Abu Saeed's dream of Bangladesh can be built.'
Stating that Jatiya Party will not have a place in Rangpur, he further said, 'Jatiya Beiman Party thinks Rangpur is their base. We want to say that the people of Rangpur have boycotted Jatiya Baiman Party. Jatiya Party established fascism in Bangladesh so Jatiya Party will have no place in Rangpur soil. The former illegal dummy mayor of Rangpur, Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa, is a corrupt person. ACC investigation has started against him. These corrupt people will not be able to become MP, Minister, Mayor from Rangpur in future. We have to build resistance against these corrupt people.'
Senior Joint General Secretary Hasan Al Mamun, Organizing Secretary Masood Rana Monnaf, President of Youth Rights Council Ershadul Haque, President of Labor Rights Council Abdur Rahman, President of Labor Rights Council, among others spoke in the rally under the chairmanship of Hanif Khan Sajib, member of the Higher Council of People's Rights Council and Coordinator of Rangpur Division. Council President Bin Yamin Mollah, Panchagarh District Member Secretary Harunur Rashid, Joint Convener Mamun Mia, Rangpur Mahanagar Gana Odhikar Parishad General Secretary Ashikur Rahman, Rangpur District Acting Convener Shere Khoda Asadullah and others. Leaders, workers and supporters of organizations including Gana Odhikar Parishad from different districts and upazilas of Rangpur division gathered in the district school ground with a march. The central and local leaders of the party spoke in the presence of hundreds of thousands of leaders and workers in an hour-long rally.
Earlier, at around 3 pm, central leaders of Gana Odhikar Parishad along with Nurul Haque Noor and Rashed Khan went to Babanpur Zafarpara, Abu Saeed's village home in Rangpur's Pirganj. There they visited the grave of Abu Saeed and also talked to the family members.
