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NARSINGDI: Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan has said the history of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and that of Bangladesh are “almost identical”, highlighting the party’s role in the country’s political and economic development over the past decades.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion held at the Handloom Board Institute auditorium in Narsingdi on Thursday to mark the BNP’s 48th founding anniversary.
Dr Moyeen Khan said the ideology of Bangladeshi nationalism, founded by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, upholds the rights and dignity of all citizens irrespective of religion, caste or ethnicity.
“Embracing this ideology, BNP has been moving forward politically for the past 48 years,” he said.
The minister said Ziaur Rahman introduced the politics of production and development and took important initiatives to open up Bangladesh’s economy.
He said the former president also played a role in promoting the country’s readymade garment industry and overseas employment, which have since become two of the major pillars of Bangladesh’s economy.
According to Moyeen Khan, Ziaur Rahman also made important contributions to advancing the rights of women and children and strengthening Bangladesh’s position in the international arena.
Recalling the late Abdul Momen Khan, a founding member of the BNP from Narsingdi, the minister said he played a significant role in building the party’s early organisational structure and expanding its activities in the district.
Referring to former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Moyeen Khan said she led the country’s anti-autocracy movement for years and later became Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister to be elected through a popular vote.
He said Khaleda Zia served as prime minister for three terms and played an important role in Bangladesh’s democratic political movement.
“BNP does not believe in the politics of vengeance. We believe in establishing justice, democracy and the rights of the people,” he said.
The minister urged party leaders and activists to convey the BNP’s 48-year political history and the ideology of its founder to younger generations.
He said young people should be made aware of the party’s political journey, its role in Bangladesh’s development and the principles of Bangladeshi nationalism that have shaped the BNP’s politics since its establishment.
