Hasina living in delusion if she thinks she can return to power: Rizvi

BNP Acting Secretary General and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's Political Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Monday said ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina was deluding herself if she believed India could send her back to Bangladesh and that the country's 180 million people would accept her return.

"She is deluding herself if she thinks she can return, reimpose fascism and reclaim her throne," Rizvi said at a discussion at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium of the National Press Club.

The event, organised by Zia Parishad, marked National Revolution and Solidarity Day, observed on November 7.

"With what shame does she want to return? She did not hesitate to drink the blood of a small child," he said.

Rizvi questioned whether Hasina expected to return and resume her previous style of rule by arresting, assaulting and persecuting people with the help of police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel loyal to her.

He said the people had not forgotten the deaths of young people, rickshaw pullers and workers during her rule, adding that Hasina had now applied for a passport and national identity card.

"Does she think she can simply sneak back in while the courts and the law remain silent?" he asked.

Rizvi alleged that Chhatra League and Jubo League activists were attempting to create unrest through incidents such as setting off firecrackers at different locations, and suggested that Hasina was hoping to return amid such instability.

He said political leaders could make mistakes and later apologise, citing former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi's decision to impose emergency rule and her subsequent expressions of regret. Hasina, however, had shown no comparable remorse, he alleged.

Recalling those killed during the July uprising, Rizvi mentioned students Wasim, Abu Sayeed, Ahnaf and Mugdho. He particularly recalled Mugdho, who was distributing water to others before being shot.

"He was calling out, 'Water, you need water!' That voice still echoes in the conscience of the nation," Rizvi said.

He questioned whether Hasina expected to be welcomed by the families of those killed, including the mothers, fathers and relatives of the victims.

Rizvi also accused Hasina of using fabricated cases, courts and judges to keep BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia imprisoned during her rule.

He recalled that whenever the BNP protested against Khaleda's imprisonment, the then law minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader would maintain that the courts and the law would take their own course.

"Why does Hasina now appeal to foreign countries? The courts will take their own course, and the law will take its own course," he said.

Rizvi further alleged that Hasina was seeking support from some British politicians in an effort to avoid enforcement of her sentence if she returned to Bangladesh.

Praising former president Ziaur Rahman's independent foreign policy, Rizvi said his approach of maintaining friendly relations with countries that respected Bangladesh's interests had strengthened ties with China, Japan, the United States and Middle Eastern nations, creating employment opportunities for millions of Bangladeshi expatriates.

He said the spirit of November 7 continued to inspire people in resisting undemocratic rule and fear, citing its influence on the 1990 movement that ousted HM Ershad and the July uprising that forced Hasina to flee the country.

Referring to Tarique's slogan, "Neither Pindi nor Delhi, this country is my Bangladesh," Rizvi said it reflected a strong sense of nationalism.

He contrasted the slogan with Hasina's reported remark, "Whatever I have given India, it will remember forever," saying the two statements reflected the difference between a patriotic leader and a servile mindset.

"We will be inspired again and again by the spirit of November 7 and will always remain ready to confront any conspiracy," he said.