Acting Chairman of BNP Tarique Rahman criticised the government for the case against Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Yunus, stating that a Nobel Laureate is forced to appear almost daily on the court balcony due to minor allegations.

In a Thursday speech from London via social media, he remarked that no one is exempt under Sheikh Hasina's misrule. Whether one is a politician or not, safety is not guaranteed. Even Chief Justice SK Sinha was not spared. What is the rationale behind this? It is because Sheikh Hasina is merely a puppet now. Her power does not lie within the country's people or Bangladesh's borders alone. Her influence extends beyond the nation's borders. Consequently, Sheikh Hasina is incapable of safeguarding the interests of the people. Even her ability to perceive those interests has been compromised.

He remarked that fascist Sheikh Hasina does not regard anyone as a human being, as even a Nobel laureate cannot escape her grasp of vengeance. Despite the passage of time, justice has yet to be served for the murder of journalist couple Sagar-Runi. Over the last 15 years, there hasn't been a fair investigation or prosecution of attacks on minority communities, nor has accountability been pursued for incidents like fires or bank fraud.

Tarique Rahman pointed out that those who continue to ignore or refrain from protesting against Sheikh Hasina's injustices, particularly after witnessing the cases involving Begum Khaleda Zia, Dr Yunus, Shahidul Alam, and other dissenters and advocates for democracy in the country, will find themselves unable to shield themselves by remaining silent.

Explaining his statement further, he elaborated, "This is evident from the fact that Bangladeshi citizens are being killed at the country's borders, and even when members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are killed, Bangladesh lacks the courage to protest. Instead, what's truly concerning for the citizens of Bangladesh is a recent statement made by the 'Dummy Prime Minister's Dummy Adviser'. He claimed that border deaths are not murders but rather accidents."
Urging unity among all citizens of the country, he emphasised, "If we allow ourselves to be divided by any excuse or petty party interests, we may one day find ourselves subjected to the fate of the brutally oppressed Palestinians within our land."

In his address, he cited the fire incident at Bailey Road and emphasised that when an incident or accident becomes commonplace, it ceases to be merely an accident. He highlighted that whenever fires occur, they engulf houses, slums, businesses, and multi-storied buildings, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives and the destruction of assets worth hundreds of crores of taka. Despite this, there has been a lack of modernization in the fire service to prevent such incidents, with no implementation of modern equipment.

At the outset of his speech, he extended his heartfelt wishes to the country's people in anticipation of the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.

He hoped that during the holy month of Ramadan, people could fast in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, partake in sehri and iftar, and engage in worship. However, he lamented the uncomfortable situation prevailing in the country, with the prices of essential items such as rice, dal, salt, oil, sugar, and onions rising daily. He noted with concern that even the price of dates, a staple for iftar during fasting, has been systematically increased. Referring to Sheikh Hasina's government as a 'dummy government,' he criticised their characterising dates as a luxury product, leading to excessive import duties. He raised a question to the conscious people, asking whether dates could genuinely be considered a luxury for fasting individuals. Familiar traders are expressing concerns over the current situation, citing the imposition of a duty of 140 takas on imported dates at a rate of 110 takas per kg and 210 takas on dates imported at a rate of Tk 120 per kg. This hefty duty raises a pertinent question: how can the market price of dates decrease when such unusually high duties are imposed? Consequently, there is a growing demand for a duty waiver on the import of dates, particularly during Ramadan, to alleviate the financial strain on consumers.

He pointed out that the state has been needlessly spending hundreds of crores of taka for years, mainly through mega corruption projects, which have funnelled at least 1 lakh crore taka to corrupt individuals within the party under the guise of subsidies or capacity charges through quick rental schemes. However, rather than subsidising date imports for iftar, a crucial practice for billions of Muslims in the country, an unusually high duty has been imposed on date imports. He expressed concern that devout Muslims may be unable to afford dates for iftar, especially after fasting all day, due to financial constraints resulting from this policy. He emphasised that this situation is deeply unfair and unjust.

Tarique Rahman criticised the government's attempts to conceal corruption and inefficiency by resorting to trivial measures, such as making burgers with jackfruit instead of meat and promoting rice consumption instead of dates. He emphasised that dates hold significant importance beyond being just a common fruit; they are a Sunnah for all fasting individuals, regardless of their wealth, to consume during iftar at the end of a day of fasting. Dates are deeply intertwined with the religious traditions and customs of Muslims. He suggested that the religious populace of the country perceives Sheikh Hasina's government as deliberately undermining the spiritual and social customs and values cherished by the majority of the population.

Tarique Rahman questioned who Sheikh Hasina aims to please by taking a stance against the religious culture and social values cherished by the country's people.