Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman has vowed to keep the 11-party alliance on the streets until its demands are fulfilled.
“We have taken to the streets to realise the people’s demands. We will return home only after those demands are fulfilled,” he said at a rally in Cumilla on Saturday.
He was speaking at Paduar Bazar Bishwaroad as part of the Dhaka-Chattogram long march organised by the Jamaat-led alliance.
Shafiqur Rahman accused the government of deceiving people and failing to keep its promises. He said people had sacrificed their lives in the struggle against authoritarianism, but many of their demands remain unmet.
He said the alliance was demanding implementation of the public mandate in the February 12 referendum and the spirit of the July mass uprising.
“We have come to the streets to restore gas supplies to your homes and ensure electricity,” he said, questioning whether people were getting uninterrupted electricity and gas.
He also raised concerns over extortion, corruption and the spread of drugs, calling for effective measures to address the problems.
Jamaat Naib-e-Ameer and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Dr Abdullah Muhammad Taher called for the implementation of the alliance’s six-point demand and the referendum mandate.
National Citizen Party Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam said uninterrupted supplies of oil, gas and electricity must be ensured. He warned that the government would not be able to stay in power if it failed to meet people’s basic needs.
Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed said the mandate given by 70 percent of voters must be implemented. He warned that the government would have to be made to fail if the mandate was not implemented automatically.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Mamunul Haque urged people to remain prepared for tougher challenges ahead, saying the long march marked the beginning of the second phase of the movement.
The Dhaka-Chattogram long march began in Dhaka on Saturday morning with the alliance’s six-point demands. The procession held rallies at several points, including Shimrail in Narayanganj, before reaching Cumilla and holding the rally at Paduar Bazar Bishwaroad. It later continued towards Chattogram.
The alliance’s six demands include implementing the people’s verdict in the February 12 referendum, trying those responsible for the July 2024 mass killings, resolving the energy crisis, controlling prices of essential goods, ending extortion and corruption, improving law and order, and ending narrow partisanisation.
-20260906063831.webp)
