Staff Correspondent:

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has warned that adopting a Proportional Representation (PR) system in national elections would strip voters of their right to directly elect individual candidates, reducing democracy to a mere vote for party symbols.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Brahmanbaria District BNP’s new member recruitment and primary membership collection program at Loknath Tank Par Maidan on Saturday afternoon, Rizvi said, “If elections are held under PR, people will no longer choose their representatives. They’ll only vote for a party logo. That weakens public accountability and could make political parties more authoritarian.”

He stressed that the PR system has no precedent in Bangladesh’s electoral history and remains largely misunderstood by the general public.

“The people have never experienced PR in any national election. Now, suddenly, certain parties are pushing for it. We understand the motive—some are using ‘reforms’ as an excuse to delay elections,” he said.

Rizvi reaffirmed the BNP’s stance: elections must be held on time, under a direct voting system, ensuring transparency, representation, and public trust.

A Party for the Principled, Not the Powerful

The senior leader emphasized that the BNP is rebuilding itself as a party of integrity, discipline, and national purpose.

“We welcome the educated, the hardworking, and the morally upright. But there will be no place in our party for extortionists, land grabbers, or those who crushed democracy underfoot.”

He issued a powerful reminder of the nation’s founding ideals, saying, “Bangladesh was born through the sacrifice of three million martyrs—mothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. But under Sheikh Hasina’s rule, a level of state violence emerged that humanity hasn’t seen in 850,000 years. The people have now rejected that bloodthirsty regime. Our mission is to rebuild Bangladesh on the foundation of truth, justice, and democracy.”

The program was presided over by Khaled Hossain Mahbub Shyamal, Central BNP Economic Affairs Secretary.

Among others, Principal Mohammad Selim Bhuiyan, BNP Comilla Divisional Organizing Secretary, Md. Mostaq Mia, Divisional Co-Organizing Secretary, Zahirul Haque Khokon, District Senior Vice President, ABM Mominul Haque, Vice President, Sirajul Islam Siraj, District General Secretary, Abul Mansur Mission, Organizing Secretary and Ahsan Uddin Khan Shipon, Team Leader of the Membership Renewal and Recruitment Program were present on the occasion.

At the conclusion of the event, Rizvi formally launched the campaign by distributing membership forms to attendees.