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BNP leader Tarique Rahman has said there is “no reason” for the country to return to the political conditions that existed before the toppling of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.
“We don’t want to go back to pre-August 5 days. There’s no reason for us to do that,” Tarique said while speaking to media leaders at a meet-and-greet event on Saturday, bdnews24.com reports.
He also spoke about essential public services, including healthcare and water supply, saying he would work towards addressing existing problems in those sectors.
Tarique also urged the media to give greater attention to the challenges faced by marginal farmers in Bangladesh, saying many of them remained unheard.
“There are 15 million marginal farmers who hardly get a chance to vent,” the BNP chief said, adding that their concerns deserved wider coverage.
The meeting marked Tarique's first formal engagement with senior media figures since returning to Bangladesh after 17 years in exile in the UK.
He exchanged greetings with editors and journalists from newspapers, television, radio, news agencies and online platforms.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the event had been organised to allow the party’s chairman to reconnect with the media after a long absence.
Tarique returned home on December 25. Days later, his mother and former prime minister Khaleda Zia died. He was formally appointed BNP chairman shortly afterwards.