Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said the July student-public uprising was the final expression of 17 years of accumulated anger, deprivation and sustained struggle. Speaking to Amar Desh at the Secretariat on Tuesday, he said the mass uprising ended an authoritarian rule on August 5 and prompted hopes for a new Bangladesh.

Dulu said the movement began as a quota protest by general students but expanded into a wider mobilisation of the public, farmers, workers and other groups because of the government’s rigid and harsh response. He cited alleged repression, disappearances and killings of BNP activists, and said Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment and Tarique Rahman’s guidance contributed to sustaining the movement. He also described deaths linked to the movement in Lalmonirhat and among people from the district working in Dhaka.

The minister said state institutions had become fragile because of nepotism and corruption, making structural reform or “state repair” a central need. He referred to BNP’s 31-point reform proposal and said it would be implemented if the party received a public mandate. He also called for respect for those killed, treatment for people left disabled, political restraint, mutual respect and adherence to the public mandate.