Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday urged all, regardless of their political affiliations, to initiate a new movement aimed at reclaiming the rights of the people and eliminating widespread corruption.

Speaking at a rally in Naya Paltan, the BNP leader criticized the government's economic policies. 

"The government has established a reign of looting by destroying banks and all other economic institutions and capturing all businesses. They have grabbed all the businesses of people belonging to the opposition parties even in the rural areas,” he stated. 

Addressing the crowd before the rally, the BNP leader highlighted the need for unity among people from various sectors to restore their rights. "We must all come together. On this May Day, I urge all political parties and ideological organizations, particularly workers' unions, to be united...let’s wage a movement to achieve our desired goal of getting back our voting and democratic rights and the rights of people. This should be our pledge on this May Day,” he said.

The rally, organized by the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, an associate body of the BNP, was held to mark May Day.

Fakhrul also accused the government of attempting to impose a one-party rule, diverging from past methods. “A unilateral governance system is being established in the country. Their tactics are different this time. They do not want to establish BaKSAL now passing a bill in the parliament as before. They want to do it by destroying all democratic institutions under the guise of democracy.”

He reaffirmed the opposition’s commitment to democracy and expressed determination to continue the struggle. "We must always remember one thing, that we have never been defeated in the past, and we will not be defeated in the future as well. Our goal is to establish democracy and restore the voting rights of people in Bangladesh. We’re ready to make more sacrifices to this end,” he added.

The BNP leader lamented that May Day is being observed at a time when the hardworking people of Bangladesh are bereft of their basic rights, under what he termed a “demonic regime”.

The rally started in the afternoon with cultural performances on a makeshift stage built with trucks in front of the party's headquarters, energizing leaders and workers despite the high temperatures.

As the event unfolded, traffic in the Naya Paltan area slowed, with one side of the road closed. Hundreds of BNP leaders and activists had gathered since noon, arriving in small processions to participate in the rally.