National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary on Tuesday said, the 13th national parliamentary election scheduled for February next year will not take place unless the ongoing reforms are completed.
"If the election takes place in February without completing the reforms, then the government will have to return the bodies of my brothers who were martyred and shed blood for the reforms," he said while addressing the National Youth Conference at the Krishibid Institution in Dhaka, on the occasion of International Youth Day.
"We are heading to an election under the same fascist constitution and system. Then why was it necessary for so many people to be martyred [in the July uprising]? Why did so many people have to be injured?" he added.
Criticising the media, he said, "The media used to be 'Hasina media' before. If I say what it is now, I would lose my job. After the mass uprising, I sat with editors of all media outlets and told them, 'Stay inside your homes if you have any shame'. But they have no shame. They keep deceiving the people of Bangladesh."
Nasiruddin further commented on the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), stating, "This intelligence agency operates with public money. But the public cannot know how much they spend. They have no accountability, no responsibility, no transparency. Their only job is to intimidate people."
"The government can't leave without fulfilling the promises of the [2024 July-August] mass uprising," he said.
He emphasised that his party will not compromise "even one percent" on the fundamental reforms and arrangements outlined in the charter.
Nahid warned that the era of repeated compromises is over.
"We have reached the final stage — this time there will be no concessions. Without fulfilling the July Charter, no political party can come to power," he added.
