Aug 03 (V7N) -BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and Political Adviser to the Prime Minister Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said that the July Uprising prevented countless students from facing dire consequences, adding that many could have been hanged had Sheikh Hasina remained in power.
Speaking as chief guest at a discussion and documentary screening titled "Nurses' Contribution in the Bloody July" at Bangladesh Medical University, Rizvi said Tarique Rahman provided him with daily directives throughout the movement, which he virtually passed on to journalists.
Responding to various claims about who deserves credit for the uprising, Rizvi pointed to Sheikh Hasina's own July 22 press conference where she accused BNP of instigating the movement, and to Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Qader's claim that the movement was being orchestrated from London. "If we had not participated in the anti-discrimination movement, how could our 650 leaders and activists have sacrificed their lives?" he asked.
Describing the July movement as an outburst against 17 years of oppression, Rizvi likened it to the spirit of the French Revolution. He also criticized what he called the "vulgar and indecent language culture" introduced by Hasina, which he said is now being repeated by leaders of a new party. "Despite enduring so much injustice and oppression, we strongly criticized her, but we never made obscene or indecent remarks," he added.
The event was organized by the Nurses Association of Bangladesh (NAB), chaired by NAB BMU branch President Sharmin Akhter. Political Assistant to the Prime Minister Rashid Khan, BNP Health Affairs Secretary Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam, and Co-Health Affairs Secretary Sujon Mia also spoke.
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