Tangail, July 13 (V7N) — Advocate Atikur Rahman, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Federation, has called on the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to first cleanse its ranks of what he described as “occupiers and extortionists” before aspiring to return to power. He made the remarks on Saturday during a representative conference of the federation’s ward-level leadership at the Tangail Shilpakala Academy auditorium.
 
Addressing BNP directly, Atikur Rahman stated that no market or public space in the country was left untouched by the party’s alleged control and extortion in the past. “You seize control of every haat and bazaar, then expect to earn the people's mandate — that dream will never come true. This is nothing but a daydream,” he said.
 
He emphasized that the upcoming election will serve as a decisive moment against extortion and political coercion, asserting, “The Bangladesh before and after August 5 will not be the same. The next election will be a referendum against extortionists. The people will reject them through their votes, and your defeat is inevitable, Inshallah.”
 
The conference was presided over by Professor Shafiqul Islam Khan, President of the Tangail District Labour Welfare Federation. Other speakers included Ahsan Habib Masud, Ameer of Tangail District Jamaat-e-Islami, and Mohibullah, among others. Leaders and activists from the district, upazila, and ward levels of Jamaat-e-Islami and the Labour Welfare Federation were in attendance.
 
During his address, Atikur Rahman also instructed party representatives to intensify grassroots engagement. He urged all leaders and activists to participate in the upcoming national rally scheduled for July 19 at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami. The rally aims to push forward a seven-point demand for free, fair, and impartial elections.
 
This statement marks a continued trend of politically charged rhetoric from parties linked to Jamaat-e-Islami in the lead-up to the next national election, underscoring growing tensions among opposition factions over political legitimacy, party control, and electoral narratives.
 
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