Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs State Minister and BNP Joint Organising Secretary Barrister Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin on Sunday said the interim government dishonoured the July martyrs by favouring a particular group instead of upholding the spirit of the July mass uprising.
“But Prime Minister Tarique Rahman truly carries in his heart the sacrifices made by the martyrs of the July uprising and the anti-autocracy movement. Through his actions, he has been trying to ensure their proper dignity and recognition,” he said.
He made the remarks while speaking as a special guest at a discussion organised by Jatiotabadi Textile Engineers Association of Bangladesh (JTEB) at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in Kakrail in memory of the martyrs of the July mass uprising.
BNP Standing Committee Member and Social Welfare Minister Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain attended the programme as the chief guest.
Expressing disappointment over the role of the interim government, Mir Helal said, “It is with great regret that I say those who ran the government after the July mass uprising, and those under whose influence it was run, failed to uphold the July spirit, the emotions, aspirations and ideals of the uprising. By trying to favour a particular group, they dishonoured the July martyrs.”
Recalling the victims of the uprising, he said the nation had witnessed the cries of grieving parents who lost their children, but added that similar pain had been experienced repeatedly over the previous 17 years under what he described as the fascist rule of Sheikh Hasina.
He said that thousands of BNP leaders and activists, along with members of its affiliated organisations, were brutally killed or forcibly disappeared during that period.
He said the sacrifices of thousands of people, including BNP leaders and activists and many others who opposed the previous AL government during its 17-year rule, also contributed to the July uprising.
Highlighting the lessons of the movement, Mir Helal said the country must be governed with patriotism, prioritising the interests of the people above all else.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been working tirelessly under that principle, while senior cabinet members, ministers, state ministers, government officials and elected lawmakers are all striving to improve the lives of the people and establish Bangladesh as a prosperous, self-reliant and dignified nation.
“We are also working to improve the living standards of ordinary people, especially those at the grassroots,” he added.
Referring to discussions held since the July uprising, Mir Helal said Tarique Rahman has remained behind the scenes, working day and night, just as he had done during the movement itself.
“He did not do this to claim credit or gain personal benefit. He genuinely believes that if we are to honour the sacrifices of all those who laid down their lives from 2009 until February 12, 2026, in the struggle to restore democracy, then there is no alternative to working for the development and prosperity of Bangladesh and its people,” he said.
He recalled Tarique Rahman’s slogan, “Bangladesh First,” saying that every state policy and programme should be assessed based on whether it benefits the people and the country.
Calling for collective support for the families of the July martyrs, Mir Helal said the government would continue to stand beside them within the limits of available resources, while the BNP and its senior leaders would also extend support.
He concluded by saying that merely recounting stories of revolution would not improve the lives of the people.
“What the country needs is work for Bangladesh, work for its people, and work for its prosperity under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Let us all move forward together for the development and prosperity of the country and its people,” he said.
The programme was chaired by JTEB Central Executive Committee President Engineer Md Fakhrul Alam and moderated by General Secretary Engineer ABM Ruhul Amin Akand. Leaders and activists of the organisation, along with family members of the July martyrs, were present at the event.
