‘I have a plan’: Back in Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman casts self in Martin Luther King Jr’s mould

Arriving in Bangladesh after 17 years of exile, Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday sought to cast himself in the mould of Martin Luther King Jr and promised the country that he has a plan. He pledged inclusivity and said his rule would have space for all ethnic and religious groups.

Rahman returned to Bangladesh at a decisive moment with parliamentary elections scheduled in a few weeks. However, as the country is being torn apart by political violence targeting politicians, media, and religious minorities, questions remain over whether the elections will be held on time.

In his first speech after arriving, Rahman rejected the hardline forces of 1947 that have been systematically dismantling the foundations laid in 1971 since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. At the same time, he described Hasina’s removal as Bangladesh’s second liberation.

Just as the nation achieved independence in 1971, people from all walks of life once again came together to protect Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty in 2024 when Hasina was ousted, Rahman said, according to The Daily Star.

Rahman invoked Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a dream’ speech and promised that his rule would have space for all ethnic and religious groups.

Rahman said, “I have a plan. We have a plan for the people and the country. Together we will work and build our Bangladesh.”

Rahman further said, “Today, the people of Bangladesh want to regain their right to speak. They want to reclaim their democratic rights. The time has come for all of us to build the country together. This country belongs to people of the hills and the plains — Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. We want to build a safe Bangladesh where every woman, man and child can leave home and return safely.”

Rahman is the acting chairman of BNP and the party’s prime ministerial candidate. With the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) barred from contesting the elections, BNP is expected to be the frontrunner and Rahman —a son of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia— is considered a leading contender for the post. With Zia hospitalised, Rahman will lead the party’s campaign.

Rahman arrives to a mass reception

Rahman arrived in Dhaka from London with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman. From the airport, he travelled to the July Expressway to deliver a speech and then visited Evercare Hospital where his mother, Khaleda, is receiving treatment, according to Prothom Alo.

Several thousand supporters lined the roads as Rahman made his way to deliver his speech and then see his mother.

In the wake of ongoing political violence, in which Islamists have also targeted BNP, authorities said they had beefed up security along the routes and sites Rahman visited. He is expected to have a security detail as BNP’s face in the elections.

Rahman had been living in exile since 2008. He claimed that the previous Hasina-led government had conspired to have him killed.