An emergency meeting of the National Standing Council of the Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP) was held on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, from 5 PM to 11 PM at the BSP Central Office, located at 82 Shah Alibagh, Mirpur-1, Dhaka 1216. The meeting was chaired by Shahzada Syed Saifuddin Ahmad Maizbhandari, Chairman of BSP, and conducted by the Acting Secretary General, Bir Muktijoddha Advocate Abdul Aziz Sarkar. The meeting was attended by members of the BSP National Standing Council, including Maulana Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan, Md. Monir Hossain, Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, Md. Shamsul Alam Bakul, Mohammad Saiful Islam, Md. Aslam Hossain, Mohammad Ibrahim Mia, Mirana Jafrin Chowdhury, Seema Akhtar, and Advocate Shah Alam Abhi.
During the meeting, Bir Muktijoddha Abdul Aziz Sarkar was promoted from Acting Secretary General to Secretary General. Mufti Khaja Baki Billah, the Additional Secretary General, was made Vice President, and former Senior ASP Abul Kalam Azad was appointed as the new Additional Secretary General.
It was decided to dissolve the Dhaka District Committee and establish organizing committees for Dhaka Metropolitan North, South, and Dhaka District. Mohammad Tohidul Islam was appointed as the convener of Dhaka Metropolitan North, with Advocate Shah Alam Abhi as the member secretary. Mosharraf Hossain Mia was appointed as the convener of Dhaka Metropolitan South, with Mohammad Afsar Uddin as the member secretary. Four subcommittees were also formed to address various issues.
In his address, party chairman Shahzada Syed Saifuddin Ahmad Maizbhandari stated that the country is now filled with corruption. He claimed there is no sector in the country where corruption does not exist, and even the honorable Prime Minister has acknowledged this in Parliament. He noted that while the government has initiated efforts to eliminate corruption, he wishes to see the Prime Minister’s words implemented swiftly. He emphasized that it is not enough to expose the corruption of only a few individuals; those who collaborate with corrupt individuals must also be held accountable. He demanded a public white paper listing all corrupt individuals, regardless of their power, to be disclosed to the public.
The chairman pointed out that, while the Awami League has announced the concept of building a smart country, the roadmap on how to eradicate corruption and build Bangabandhu’s Golden Bengal remains unclear to the public. The government has not clarified its initiatives to recover the money smuggled out of the country.
He criticized the double standards in the country, where small farmers who borrow five or ten thousand taka for agriculture are handcuffed and taken to jail like thieves, yet some individuals who borrow billions from banks do not return it and even have their interest waived unlawfully by Bangladesh Bank. The government is unable to catch those who loot billions. He argued that this proves the law is not equal for everyone in the country. He demanded transparency regarding how the money laundered by corrupt individuals and returned funds will be deposited into the state treasury.
BSP Chairman added that the Prime Minister has stated that a certain class of people is suffering, but there were no visible initiatives in the budget to alleviate their suffering. With the rising cost of essential goods, middle-class families struggle to cover the costs of education, rent, electricity, gas, and water bills. Middle-class people are starving or living on half-rations. Additionally, ghostly electricity bills have become a severe burden. People want relief from this situation. He asserted that, if there were the rule of law in the country, banks and public assets would not be looted this way.
Syed Saifuddin Ahmad Maizbhandari reiterated that the Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP) will continue its movement to establish good governance, justice, and a corruption-free country as it has done in the past.