BNP wants to make a rainbow state with dissenting parties: Fakhrul

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wants to make a rainbow state by including dissenting parties, said its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. He made this comment at a discussion meeting at Chandrima Udyan in the capital on Sunday (July 20) in memory of the July martyrs. Fakhrul said, “There will be dissenting opinions. We will make a rainbow state, where everyone with different political views will be included.” The concept of “rainbow state” was used in the post-apartheid period in South Africa, where an ideal image of peaceful coexistence of people of different races and cultures was presented. The BNP Secretary General also said that a fund will be formed by the BNP to arrange for the treatment of those injured in the July mass uprising. Regarding the disappearances and killings in the past year, he said, “Fascist Sheikh Hasina can never be forgiven. He is a disgrace to humanity.’ Regarding the July Uprising, Fakhrul said, ‘I will not argue about how many lives were lost in the July Movement from any party.’ He also expressed hope that the country would find the basis for democracy through the elections promised by Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus by February. Later, the BNP Secretary General inaugurated a program to plant one million trees across the country by planting trees at Chandrima Udyan.