TDS Desk:

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has urged all people to remain alert about multi-faceted conspiracies of the cohorts of the autocrat though the dictator fled the country.

“If any plot is made, befitting reply should be given to it,” he said while addressing a public rally at Gopalpur in Tangail district as the chief guest virtually from London.

Tangail’s Gopalpur unit of BNP organized the rally on Wednesday afternoon demanding release of former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu from jail.

BNP central Vice-Chairman Advocate Ahmed Azam Khan addressed the rally as the special guest while Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku spoke as main speaker with BNP’s Gopalpur Upazila unit President Khandaker Jahangir Alam in the chair.

Tarique Rahman said BNP wants to introduce politics of production and development in the country in future.

“Only a political government can solve all the problems of the people while public mandate is needed to this end. If we get the opportunity to perform that duty (governing the state) with the mandate of the country’s people, your problems will remain in my mind,” he added.

In the public rally held after almost 17 years in Gopalpur, the address of Tarique Rahman, son of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, was in the centre of the interests of the people who joined the public event.

The BNP acting chairman virtually joined the rally around 4.45pm while thousands of people greeted him when he appeared on the screen.

In his about 35-minute speech, Tarique Rahman disclosed his plan about the potentials of different famous products of Tangail district.

He said, “The country will march forward if economic emancipation is achieved”.

Referring to the participating people in the rally, the BNP acting chairman said, “I know that not only the people of Gopalpur and Bhuapur are present here Thursday, but also people from neighboring Madhupur, Dhanbari, Ghatail and Tangail Sadar upazilas and many from Jamalpur district are also present here”.

“My father was a beloved personality of you all. He taught me since my childhood – how to get close to the country’s hardworking peasant, laborers and common people. And my mother Deshnetri Begum Khaleda Zia, who is also your beloved one, taught me the importance of earning people’s love and how to work to solve the problems of the country’s mothers and sisters,” he added.

Speaking about different famous products of Tangail, Tarique Rahman said, “I know about Tangail Saree and sweet named ‘Chamcham’. Though people utter the name of Delduar Upazila regarding the production of Tangail Saree, but I know that the famous Tangail saree is also produced in Gopalpur”.

He urged the people of Gopalpur to increase the number of loom factories to compete with the neighbouring upazila Delduar as competition will help improve the quality of product.

“I know you can’t afford the price of yarns and colors. Even you can’t market properly,” the BNP Acting Chairman said if BNP is voted to power, they will try to solve these problems.

He put emphasis on improving quality of products, bringing diversity in designs and producing Sarees of cotton, silk and cotton-silk combination with new designs to make the Tangail Sarees popular across the globe.

Speaking about the Tangail’s Chamcham (one kind of sweet), Tarique Rahman said Chamcham is another famous product of Tangail.

“The people of the world know that Chamcham means Tangail and Porabari. The Chamcham, made with milk and water in Tangail, cannot be found anywhere else in the world,” he added.

Noting that the sweet traders in Tangail are also facing different problems like high price of milk, the BNP leader said, “If we get the opportunity, we will try to increase the number of cattle in the country and dredge dead canals and rivers.

It will help Chamcham to go abroad beyond the border of Bangladesh, he added.

Noting that jute is still one of the main crops in Gopalpur and Bhuapur, Tarique Rahman said once upon a time, big boats were used to transport jute to Narayanganj through Jhenai, Dhaleswari and Bairan rivers.

“Thursday the jute industry is facing huge problems in Bangladesh. There are many things to do here as well. Why will only sacks be made from jute? The whole world is concerned about the environment today. We have to protect the environment too,” he added.

He stressed on reducing use of polythene bags, saying that polythene is destroying everything, including rivers, canals, ponds and croplands as polythene does not mix with land and water at all.

Tarique Rahman said, “The fresh use of jute has to be increased alongside discovering newer ones. The new inventions of using jute in producing bag, board, shoe, sandal and furniture have to be ensured. The fresh use of jute sticks has to be discovered alongside producing practical board from it to save the environment. Discovering high quality seeds of jute is necessary after knowing well the history of the jute and its genetics. I am giving you words that I will not forget if the Almighty Allah gives us a chance.”

He said, “Madhupur is situated beside you and I know there are many people here from Madhupur. It is hard to find anyone who doesn’t like the Jalodubi pineapple of Madhupur. But, it is a seasonal fruit. So, we could not ensure its multiple uses due to lack of its preservation. There is none in the world who doesn’t like juice, jam and jelly of pineapple.

The BNP’s Acting Chairperson went on saying, “You people are incomparable in producing paddy and it is hard to defeat you in these tasks. So, we need your cooperation in increasing the food production across the country and we’re giving you promises to extend all cooperation on behalf of us to this end.”

He said, “Many of us don’t know the quality prayer caps that are being produced in many areas of Bangladesh that include Gopalpur of Tangail and these are being exported in many countries of the world. What you have purchased from Saudi Arabia after going to perform Umrah or Hajj, the topis are mainly produced in Tangail. It is required to extend cooperation to make further improvement of those alongside ensuring their marketing. There are many small and big farms here for fattening cows (in Tangail) and the demand of sacrificial animals is fulfilled from there. We will remember your contribution. Especially, you have many problems with the price hike of feeds.”

However, Tarique Rahman said, “The numbers of landless people are very high there. We have to give special attention to it. Another major problem of the areas is the Jamuna river erosion, particularly in Bhuapur Upazila. We have to think about realistic and permanent plans to address the issue.”