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Claiming there were efforts to render parliament ineffective, he urged July fighters to prepare for another mass movement.

“Without a mass movement, the government will not implement reforms. This time, we must take to the streets in a planned way. We do not want to fail or achieve only partial success again,” he said.

At least 10 family members of July martyrs and injured activists, along with other speakers, said the key aspirations of the July uprising remain largely unfulfilled, including ending discrimination and reforming the state.

They alleged that by not placing major interim government ordinances before parliament, the BNP has gone against the spirit of the uprising. These ordinances included those on the referendum, police commission, enforced disappearance, and Anti-Corruption Commission.

Shafiqur said most BNP lawmakers had themselves faced repression. “This [current parliament] is a gathering of the oppressed, who should understand each other’s suffering. But power seems so ruthless that it makes people forget their past. Then they see nothing but the lure of power.”

Referring to the BNP’s 31-point reform pledge, he said, “The very first point was constitutional reform. Now they [BNP] have taken a position against it.”

He further alleged a “spree of takeovers” across institutions, from Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Cricket Board to district councils and universities, accusing the BNP of attempting to reimpose “one-party rule in a BAKSAL-style manner.”

Nahid also said the July martyrs and injured should not be used for political purposes. “The government is at times invoking the July movement and 1971 to legitimise its actions. Yet it embodies neither 2024 nor 1971,” he said.

Among others, Sanzida Khan, mother of July martyr Shahariar Khan Anas, said she did not expect the BNP, once an oppressed party, to “forget the martyrs and stand against the people’s verdict” after coming to power.

“We believe Hasnat, Nahid and others represent the July martyrs and injured in parliament. We hope the government will honour the people’s mandate and realise the martyrs’ aspirations, without political duplicity,” she added.

Injured July activist Kamrul Ahsan urged the government to implement the July charter in line with the referendum verdict, warning of a broader movement if it fails to do so.