Winning people’s trust was BNP’s ‘engineering’: Tarique

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has rejected allegations of electoral “engineering” in the 13th National Parliament election, saying his party’s only strategy was to win over the people.

Speaking at a post-election press conference at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka on Saturday (February 14), he responded to a pointed question about whether the BNP had to resort to manipulation to secure more than 200 seats.

The question was raised by journalist Khaled Muhiuddin, who asked whether the election had been as difficult as previously suggested and whether any “engineering” was involved in the party’s sweeping victory.

In reply, Tarique said, “Our engineering was to win the people over. Alhamdulillah, we have succeeded in that.” He added that convincing voters and ensuring what he described as a fair and positive environment were central to the party’s efforts.

He said meaningful political change requires hard work and persistence, and that no goal can be achieved without sustained effort.

Tarique also said that the country's foreign policy will be decided keeping the interests of Bangladesh and the people of Bangladesh in mind.

In response to questions from foreign journalists, Tarique said, "The interests of the people of the country come first; we will decide the foreign policy by seriously considering their interests."

At the same time, Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, "Bangladesh's foreign policy will be decided on the basis of mutual respect, equality and trust, not loyalty to any single country."

Tarique also outlined his party’s stance on governance and law enforcement, stressing that no attack by the strong on the weak would be tolerated, regardless of party affiliation, religion, caste or political difference.

“Justice will be our guiding principle. No injustice or illegal activity will be allowed,” he said.

Emphasising the importance of the rule of law, he warned that all other initiatives would fail if legal equality is not ensured. According to him, the law must apply equally to every citizen, whether from the ruling party, the opposition or any other group, and must be enforced strictly in line with statutory provisions.

The press conference was attended by several senior BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, Abdul Moin Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Selima Rahman, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and AZM Zahid Hossain, among others.