The plane carrying BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 11:40 am on Thursday (December 25).
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman took the stage at the historic public reception and exchanged greetings with senior party leaders and fellow activists. He responded to the greetings of millions of people by waving his hand, and the venue instantly erupted in slogans.
Upon reaching the reception venue, Tarique Rahman delivered a historic speech to the millions of leaders and activists present and the people of the entire country.
Here is Tarique Rahman’s full speech for the readers:
Dear Bangladesh,
Dear elders present, national leaders present on stage, dear brothers and sisters present before me, and those watching this program from all over Bangladesh through the media, dear brothers and sisters, dear mothers and sisters, Assalamu Alaikum.
Dear brothers and sisters, today, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Almighty God – by the infinite mercy of the Almighty God, I have been able to return to my beloved homeland today, through your prayers, among you.
Dear brothers and sisters, our beloved motherland was acquired in 1971 with the blood of millions of martyrs. Similarly, in 1975, on November 7, the country was saved from the hands of the hegemonists through the revolution of the sepoys. Similarly, later in 1990, the people of this country, the working people of this country, snatched their democratic rights against the dictatorship. But, even then, the conspirators’ conspiracies did not stop. We then saw that in 2024, just as the people of this country achieved independence in 1971, in 2024, all people from all walks of life, including the students of this country – farmers, workers, housewives, men and women, madrasa students, regardless of party affiliation, class and profession, defended the independence and sovereignty of this country on August 5, 2024.
Dear brothers and sisters, today the people of Bangladesh want to regain their right to speak. They want to regain their democratic rights. The people of Bangladesh want to get fair rights according to their merits.
Dear brothers and sisters, today is the time for us all to build a country together. Just as there are people from the mountains in this country, there are people from the plains in this country as well. People of different religions including Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus live in this country. We want to build a Bangladesh together – the Bangladesh that a mother dreams of, that is, we want to build a safe Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, a woman, a man, a child, whoever they are – if they leave their home safely, they can return home safely, InshaAllah.
Dear brothers and sisters, half of the population of this country is women, more than 40 million members of the young generation, about 50 million children, about 4 million disabled people, several crores of farmers and workers. These people have one expectation from this state. These people have one desire from this country. If we all unite today. If we all make a commitment today – then we can fulfill those expectations of these millions of people, Insha Allah.
Dear brothers and sisters, in 1971, our martyrs sacrificed their lives to build such a Bangladesh. In the past 15 years, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and disappeared against the dictatorship. Not only members of political parties, but also innocent people have been subjected to torture and torture while protesting, and have given their lives. 2024 is just the year of that incident. How we have seen how members of our young generation have sacrificed their lives to protect the independence and sovereignty of the country.
Dear brothers and sisters, a few days ago, a brave member of the 24-year movement of Bangladesh, Osman Hadi, was killed. Osman Hadi has been martyred.
Dear brothers and sisters, Osman Hadi wanted democracy to be established for the people of this country. The democratic rights of the people of this country to be established. The people of this country to regain their democratic and economic rights. Today, those who were martyred in the 24th movement, including Osman Hadi, those who were martyred in 71, those who were killed and disappeared in various ways during the past dictatorship, if the blood debt of these people has to be repaid, let us build the Bangladesh we desire – where we will all work together, where we will all build the Bangladesh we desire.
Dear brothers and sisters, the spies of various hegemonic powers are still involved in various conspiracies. We have to be patient. We have to be patient. Especially the members of the young generation, you will lead the country in the future, you will build the country. The members of the young generation must accept this responsibility today, so that we can build this country beautifully on a solid foundation. A democratic foundation on a strong economic foundation so that we can build this country.
Dear brothers and sisters, many national leaders are sitting here on the stage with me today. Let us raise our hands and pray to Allah today – we want Allah’s mercy – the national leaders who are on this stage, the national leaders who are outside the stage, we all want to lead this country and build the Bangladesh that the people of Bangladesh expect. We have to protect the peace and order of this country at any cost. We have to remain calm in the face of any provocation.
Dear brothers and sisters, we want peace in the country. We want peace in the country. We want peace in the country. Dear brothers and sisters, Martin Luther King, have you heard the name? Have you heard the name? Martin Luther King, he has a famous dialogue, ‘I Have a Dream’. Today, standing on the soil of Bangladesh, I want to say before all of you, as a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, I want to say before you, ‘I have a plan for the people of my country, for my country.’
Today, this plan is for the benefit of the people of the country, for the development of the country, for the change in the fate of the people of the country, if that plan, that program, that plan has to be implemented – dear brothers and sisters, I need the cooperation of every person present in this ocean of people, the power of democracy present throughout Bangladesh. We need the cooperation of every person. If you are by our side, if you cooperate with us, Insha Allah, we will be able to implement ‘I Have a Plan’. Let us raise our hands in the court of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, O the only owner, O the only protector, O the only giver of mercy, O the only helper, if you grant us mercy today, we the people of this country will be able to build the Bangladesh we expect through hard work.
Today, if God’s mercy is on this country and its people, God’s help, God’s mercy be on the people of this country, God’s mercy be on this country, God willing, we will be able to build the Bangladesh we desire.
Dear brothers and sisters, today let us all pledge that, God willing, those who will take charge of running the country in the future, we will all try our best to run the country in the light of the justice of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Dear brothers and sisters, today you know that from here I will go to my mother, the national leader Khaleda Zia. Each of you is aware of what happened to a person who loved the land of this country, the people of this country more than his own life. As a child, I would like to ask you to pray to Allah today, so that Allah may grant him success, so that he may recover.
Dear brothers and sisters, as a child, my heart lies beside my mother’s bed in that hospital room. But I cannot leave behind those for whom that person sacrificed her life, that is, you, these people for whom the national leader Khaleda Zia sacrificed her life. And that is why today, before going to the hospital, I stand here before you to express my gratitude to all of you, including those who are watching me on television throughout Bangladesh.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us ensure today that no matter what religion we belong to, what class we belong to, what political party we belong to, or whether we are a non-partisan person, we must ensure that we maintain peace and order in this country at any cost. We must abandon any chaos at any cost. We must ensure at any cost that people can be safe. Be it children, women, men, people of any age, any class, any profession, any religion, this is our demand today.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us all pledge today, let us all work together, let us build our Bangladesh, InshaAllah.
I conclude my speech by asking for prayers from all of you, once again calling on everyone to maintain peace and order in the country at any cost, avoiding any chaos, and facing it with patience. Once again, I express my gratitude to you for welcoming me like this today. Allah Hafez. Long live Bangladesh. Long live Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Assalamu Alaikum.