Plot afoot to erase 1971 spirit: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday alleged that a vested group was conspiring to erase the spirit of Bangladesh's Liberation War.

"An effort is underway to erase the memory of our Liberation War," Fakhrul said. "They are trying to create a perception that nothing significant happened in 1971… that we did nothing… and that only those involved in the 2024 uprising achieved everything," he said at a discussion with freedom fighters and their descendants at the Thakurgaon District Freedom Fighters Complex.

"Thousands of my brothers were martyred in 1971, countless people had to leave their homes and seek refuge in India, and our mothers and sisters were subjected to atrocities and killings. Can we forget that?" he said in an emotion-choked voice.

"I usually don't speak like this, but I have to," he added. "Because today, a vested quarter is trying to devour the country — trying to destroy it. They are exploiting religious sentiments to serve their interests. We cannot let that happen. We must resist. We have to revive the spirit of our Liberation War. We fought, struggled, and freed this country through sacrifice."

"I want to make one thing clear -- delaying the election through the ongoing conspiracies means our destruction, the destruction of this country. An elected government is urgently needed," Fakhrul said.

He also urged the interim government to announce the election schedule promptly and establish an elected government.