'This parliament has no value, doubtful it will last five years' — Nahid Islam

National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam has said the 13th National Parliament has no value, and that in this parliament neither the opposition's voice nor the people's voice is given any weight. He said the parliament has turned into a BNP parliament of two-thirds majority, and expressed doubt over whether it will even survive five years in such circumstances.

He made the remarks on Saturday (24 October) during a leaflet distribution and public outreach programme in the capital's Jatrabari. The NCP organised the programme to make its 30 October protest rally a success; the rally is in protest against the deterioration of law and order, rises in fuel and essential commodity prices and partisan appointments in state institutions.

Nahid Islam said: 'The parliament that was elected after 16 years, the new national parliament that was formed — its value is not worth two pennies any more. I doubt whether this parliament will last five years. Because in this parliament the opposition's words carry no weight. The people's voice carries no weight. This parliament has become the BNP's two-thirds parliament. That is the national parliament now — the people's national parliament no longer exists.'

Alleging that they are not being allowed to speak for the people in parliament, the opposition chief whip said: 'We believe you sent us to parliament to speak for you. Since we cannot speak there, we have come back to the streets. We have come back to you.'

Calling the present government 'contrary to the aspirations of the mass uprising', the NCP convener said the BNP, which is in government, had stood with the uprising and many Chhatra Dal activists were injured and killed. But, he alleged, their political leaders had compromised with the Awami League over the past 16-17 years, they have no desire for change, and they have made no change in the last seven to eight months.

Raising the referendum and implementation of the July Charter, Nahid Islam said voters cast two votes in the 2026 election — one in the referendum and one in the parliamentary election — and everyone voted 'yes' in the referendum as a symbol of change and reform. But once in power, he alleged, the rulers scorned the July Charter and denied the referendum, and by denying the referendum they betrayed the martyrs of the mass uprising.

Criticising the BNP government, he said: 'We can call the BNP government a July-traitor government — one that has erased the aspirations of July and taken Bangladesh back to the old arrangement. If the July Charter is not implemented, if reforms are not implemented, if discrimination is not removed, if extortion and terror are not removed, then people have now started asking what wrong Sheikh Hasina actually did.'

Criticising Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said there is no longer any difference between Tarique Rahman and Sheikh Hasina. He alleged that Tarique Rahman has taken away the people's voting rights, including the vote of the referendum, that power was captured through a staged election and the country handed over to mafias — examples of which, he said, can be seen across the country.

Raising fuel prices, Nahid Islam said: 'The official price of LPG gas in the country is 1,800 taka. But in the retail market you have to buy it for 2,500 to 3,500 taka — when even after the election it was 1,200 taka. During the interim government there was a war-like situation and the police were in a fragile state, yet students and the public were all on the ground and the country's situation did not become this bad.'

Expressing concern over law and order, he said: 'You can see the law and order situation in the country today yourselves. This very morning we saw singer Asif Akbar's car attacked and vandalised. That means, whichever level of citizen you are in society, you have no security in this state. This government has completely failed to ensure security, and the home minister has completely failed.'

Alleging BNP leaders' involvement in the drug trade and extortion, the NCP convener said the biggest drug syndicates and hotspots are under BNP leaders' control, so the BNP government cannot eliminate drugs no matter how much its state minister goes out carrying a gun. On extortion in the transport sector, he alleged that tolls are taken from every bus and route vehicle in the Sayedabad-Jatrabari area, and that a share of that extortion money goes partly to the Awami League and partly to the BNP.

Calling on the people to take to the streets again, he said: 'We know you are tired of protesting. You protested for 16 years. But the mass uprising has been hijacked. Tarique Rahman hijacked the mass uprising. To bring that uprising back to ourselves, there is no alternative to taking to the streets.' He also said there is no alternative to uniting and coming out on the streets.

Nahid Islam's remarks come at a time when the NCP is becoming active on the ground around its 30 October protest rally. His sharp criticism of parliament, the government and law and order, delivered from the Jatrabari outreach programme, is expected to intensify political debate in the coming days.