Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the movement held in Bangladesh during July and August was entirely a public movement, succeeding because people wanted change. He made the remarks on Tuesday at a discussion meeting at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh in Khamarbari, Dhaka. The event was titled “17 Years of Uninterrupted Struggle for Democracy and the Bloody July Awakening.”

Rahman said credit for the July movement’s success belongs to people from all walks of life, not to any individual or single political party. He said that over the past 17 years, citizens, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders and activists, and several other parties that believe in democracy had remained active in anti-fascist movements. He also said they had never left the field or abandoned the public.

Calling on all political parties, the prime minister said the time had come to rebuild and advance the country. He urged patience and vigilance toward those seeking to conspire, and said the public should be alerted. He said plans presented to the public for rebuilding the country should be gradually implemented and that public expectations should be met.