State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam has claimed that Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus travelled to the United Kingdom in June 2025 to discuss electoral arrangements with Tarique Rahman.
Shahe Alam described the visit as presenting the results of the July-August Uprising - a “trophy,” in his words - to the Opposition Leader.
Speaking in Parliament while discussing the President’s speech on Tuesday, the Bogura-2 lawmaker asserted that the BNP is the sole custodian of three key moments in Bangladesh’s history: the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 democratic movement and the recent July-August Uprising.
He argued that while the Awami League can reference the first two events, it has no claim over the recent movement, and other opposition parties lack continuity with earlier historical milestones.
Shahe Alam’s remarks caused a stir among opposition members, but he maintained that the interim government chief’s London visit to Tarique Rahman proves that the student-led movement had a central leadership.
According to Shahe Alam, Dr Yunus returned from the UK with an election schedule that facilitated free and fair voting.
The state minister also praised Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad as a freedom fighter and highlighted BNP’s legitimacy through its founder Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.
Shahe Alam noted that government benches include multiple Liberation War veterans, whereas the Opposition lacks such representation, although Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad corrected him by pointing out Gazi Nazrul Islam of Satkhira-3 as a freedom fighter.
Recalling past administrations, Shahe Alam mentioned that former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia incorporated opposition figures in her 2001 government. In contrast, he criticised current opposition leaders for focusing on the July-August movement while downplaying the importance of 1971 and 1990.
Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman immediately responded, rejecting the state minister’s claims as inaccurate and insisting that false statements should be removed from official parliamentary records.
The Speaker assured lawmakers that all parliamentary records would be reviewed, with any unparliamentary or factually incorrect content subject to deletion.
.jpg "Bangladesh records 4 more measles-related deaths in past 24 hours")
