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has clearly taken a position in favour of prosecuting those involved in the killings during the July-August mass uprising. “But we saw some people saying that after August 5, they would pardon everyone.”

He said those who speak loudly in public are the same people who travelled far from Dhaka to meet a collaborator of fascism but could not explain the meeting when confronted by locals.

Additionally, Tarique said, “Our [the ruling BNP’s] priority is education for mothers and sisters, healthcare for children, vaccines for them, jobs for unemployed youth, support for farmers, and ensuring medical services for all.”

He also mentioned plans to expand education, healthcare services, and job creation across the country.

Tarique said the BNP has signed the July Charter with political parties and will fully implement it in parliament, and urged vigilance against those trying to “create confusion”.

“Some groups tried to mislead people during different periods of history, including in 1971, 1986, and 2009,” he said, alleging that the same quarters are again attempting to create confusion in 2026.

Earlier in the morning, he addressed a gathering on the bank of the historic Ulashi Canal after inaugurating its re-excavation work in Jashore’s Sharsha upazila of Jashore.

There, he said, “Some individuals and political parties are now trying to divert the referendum in a different direction and confuse the people.”

He added that such elements were seeking to create disorder in the country, which could obstruct the government’s development programmes and harm public welfare.

LPG CARDS FOR WOMEN, FREE EDUCATION UP TO DEGREE LEVEL

At the Eidgah ground rally, Tarique Rahman said the government will introduce LPG cards for women alongside the existing family card programme to ease cooking-related hardships.

“Our mothers and sisters face difficulties every day. They struggle to manage food for their families. They also have to cook, and for that they need gas or firewood. This creates problems.”

Considering this hardship, he said the government decided two days ago to introduce LPG cards for women.

“Half of Bangladesh’s population is women. If they remain behind, the country cannot move forward. That is why we want to make women economically self-reliant.”

Tarique also referred to previous initiatives by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, saying she had made girls’ education free up to the school level and later up to the intermediate level.

“We [the BNP government] have decided that girls’ education will be made free up to degree level. We will also provide stipends for those who achieve good results.”

OTHER PROGRAMMES

The PM unveiled the foundation plaque of a 500-bed Jashore Medical College Hospital building at Harinar Beel in the Chachra area in the afternoon, reiterating his government’s goal to improve and expand access to healthcare services.

Later in the afternoon, Tarique Rahman visited the historic Jashore Institute Public Library, where he said the government has taken a plan to encourage reading habits among children, keep them away from excessive mobile phone use, and reduce their dependence on digital devices.

“We want to develop the habit of reading books. We want to bring children away from mobile phones and into playgrounds and books. This is our plan.”