A bold speech by Dhaka City BNP leader Engineer Israk Hossain has stirred political discussion during the membership renewal and recruitment program of Demra Thana BNP.
Speaking in front of local BNP members and supporters, Israk strongly criticized the Nationalist Citizen’s Party (NCP) and questioned their repeated involvement in BNP’s political matters. He said,
“ওরা শাপলা না পাইলে আমরাও নাকি ধানের শীষ পাব না!”
“If they don’t get the Shapla symbol, we won’t get our Sheaf of Paddy either!”
Israk was referring to the Election Commission’s recent decisions on electoral symbols. According to him, NCP is constantly trying to link themselves with BNP, even in matters where BNP has nothing to do with them.
He claimed that BNP is a long-standing political party with deep roots, while the new parties like NCP are trying to gain attention by dragging BNP’s name into everything.
“আমার সামনে আসুক, ৫ মিনিট দাঁড়াইতে পারে নাকি দেখি!”
“Let them come in front of me, let’s see if they can stand for 5 minutes!”
In a direct challenge to NCP leaders, Israk questioned their strength and political maturity. He accused them of using BNP’s name for relevance and warned them to stop doing so.
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“বিএনপির জন্ম হইছে, তখন আপনাদের জন্মও হয় নাই”
“When BNP was born, you people weren’t even born!”
Israk highlighted the history and legacy of BNP, saying that comparing new parties like NCP to BNP is disrespectful.
“১০ মিনিটে সচিবালয় ঘেরাও দিয়ে সরকার পতন করতে ১৫ মিনিটও লাগবে না”
“If our leader calls for it, we can surround the Secretariat in 10 minutes, and it won’t even take 15 minutes to bring down the government.”
Israk’s words showed his confidence in BNP’s grassroots strength. He claimed that if BNP’s leadership gives the order, their activists are ready to act instantly and powerfully.
Background: What’s the Issue?
Recently, the Election Commission (EC) has been dealing with symbol-related disputes. The Shapla (water lily) symbol, claimed by NCP, has been under scrutiny. BNP’s symbol “Sheaf of Paddy (ধানের শীষ)” was also mentioned in this debate, which angered BNP leaders like Israk.
Source: Ishraque Hossain
