BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and the prime minister’s political adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said a continuous 17-year struggle under Khaleda Zia and later party chairman Tarique Rahman created the background for the July 2024 mass uprising. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists at BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka, on Wednesday.

Rizvi said the movement’s foundation led to a mass awakening among students, workers and ordinary people, culminating in the fall of what he described as fascism. He said an unprecedented eruption of students and the public took place in July 2024 as part of the 17-year, blood-stained struggle. He also said the movement sought freedom of speech, personal liberty, press freedom and citizens’ rights.

He said the uprising reached its final outcome on August 5, with the end of autocracy and fascism, and claimed Sheikh Hasina fell within 36 days. BNP will hold a special discussion at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh on August 4, with Tarique Rahman as chief guest and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir presiding. Rizvi also urged political parties to use civil language and avoid provocation, abusive speech and false propaganda.