Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said his party would stop extortion and protect citizens’ dignity if given the responsibility to govern. Speaking as chief guest at an election rally in Habiganj’s Newfield ground on February 7, he pledged that businessmen and street vendors would no longer face harassment and that his party would serve the people rather than rule over them.

In his 35-minute speech, Rahman criticized what he described as dishonest leadership and widespread corruption over the past 54 years since independence. He alleged that 28 lakh crore taka had been laundered from the country in the last 15 and a half years, calling it the people’s stolen wealth. He also promised equal justice for all, saying that even the president and prime minister would face the same punishment as ordinary citizens.

Rahman urged voters to support Jamaat’s electoral symbol, the scale, and to vote “yes” in the upcoming referendum on February 12, claiming that such a victory would change the country’s political culture.