BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has hailed Tarique Rahman as the chief architect of the July-August mass movement that, he said, played a pivotal role in ending Sheikh Hasina’s “bloodthirsty fascist rule.”

Speaking to reporters, Rizvi argued that the Awami League had aligned itself with “India-centric politics,” while BNP stood firmly for “Bangladesh’s interests.” He accused pro-government groups of running smear campaigns, tagging and cyberbullying BNP supporters, but vowed that no conspiracy could defeat the people’s will.