BNP will implement July charter
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the BNP would definitely implement the July charter and warned that any attempt to obstruct the government’s public welfare programmes would be resisted with the people’s support.
“We must stay alert; we must be cautious [about] the ghosts of autocracy, upon whom a shadow is being slowly cast again... who are once more trying to create anarchy in the country,” the BNP chairman said at a public meeting held at the Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University campus in Tangail yesterday afternoon.
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“The people of Bangladesh have given BNP the responsibility to run the country. The day BNP signed the July charter, others also signed it. We have seen that those who are now in the opposition were initially confused about whether they should sign or not. And there is another party with them. They did not sign at that time. We saw them go and suddenly sign it quickly after the election.
“BNP signed first. Those who shouted loudly for the July charter after the election, we can ask them, ‘If you cared so much, why did you not sign first?’” he said.
Tarique said, “I have said before, and I am making it clear again. BNP has signed the July charter, and it will implement it. There will be no change in this. But those who try to obstruct BNP’s canal digging, Family Card, Farmers’ Card, programmes to create professional players, and other public programmes, the BNP will resist them with the people.”
He said, “We may disagree on some issues, that is not a problem. But those disagreements must be solved through discussion. You will make your point and I will give my logic. If your logic is correct, I will accept it.”
The BNP chairman said, “We carry this country in our hearts. We have no other address besides this country. Since this Bangladesh is our identity and our last shelter, we must build this country ourselves.”
Before making these remarks at the campus, Tarique inaugurated the Farmers’ Card pre-pilot programme at Tangail’s Shaheed Maruf Stadium, where several thousand farmers and party leaders and supporters gathered.
On the first day of the Bangla New Year, Tarique called on everyone to support and cooperate in building a beautiful Bangladesh. He said the BNP-led government wants to build a safe Bangladesh where people can live safely and children can grow up, study, work, and prosper in comfort.
He said the government wants to make farmers self-reliant and economically secure. That is why they are giving Farmers’ Card. “If we look at all the reviews, we will see that in Bangladesh, whenever the BNP got the chance to run the country, the BNP tried to stand beside the farmers. You trusted the BNP in the last election. This government will fully respect that trust,” he added.
Tarique said the BNP and the government believe that the well-being of Bangladesh and its people depends entirely on the survival and prosperity of the farmers.
As soon as the programme was launched, Tk 2,500 was transferred to the bank accounts of 22,067 farmers across 11 upazilas. In Tangail alone, 1,453 farmers received the money.
The initiative aims to recognise farmers as professionals, boost their incomes, and ensure subsidies. The programme is to target 1.65 crore farmers in four years at a cost of Tk 681 crore.
The PM handed over Farmers’ Card and saplings to 15 marginal farmers at the event.
Farmers’ Card is one of the electoral pledges of the BNP. It has so far launched the Family Card, Sports Card, and canal excavation after assuming power.
Under the scheme, farmers will be entitled to 10 types of services, including fair-priced farm inputs and irrigation, easy farm loans, low-cost agricultural machinery, government subsidies and incentives, weather forecasts and market information on mobile phones, agricultural training, advice on controlling crop diseases and pests, crop insurance, and fair-priced sale of produce.
Using the card, farmers will also be able to buy fertiliser, seeds, fish feed, animal feed, and other farm inputs from dealers through point-of-sale machines.
Yesterday, Tarique warned farmers about prolonged use of deep tube-well as it depletes groundwater. He said the government will restore water levels through canal excavation and river dredging to prevent nationwide sufferings.
He also announced government support for farmers in agro-based regions, specifically the north, by promoting industries and boosting investment, processing, and exports for better prices and increased foreign revenue.
To secure fair prices and off-season availability, he proposed building cold storages and processing systems for Tangail’s famous pineapples.
He said it is important to make women self-reliant, as they make up half of the population, and without their progress, the country cannot move forward.
He said that is why the government promised to introduce a Family Card for women heads of families, and the pilot project has already started.
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