The BNP on Wednesday called upon the government to lift the curfew and meet the outstanding demands of the students to restore peace in public life.

“We have been saying since day one that we want the curfew to be lifted. Curfew must be withdrawn in the interests of peace of the people,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He said they are still supporting the anti-discrimination movement waged by the students. “Their (students’) demands have not yet been fulfilled. They have an eight-point demand.” 

"Not only the quota reform, the other demands must be met by the government," the BNP leader said.

He said the government is trying to divert the students’ movement and bypass the main demands of the movement.

Fakhrul also said the government still did not sit with students and other stakeholders to resolve the problems. He said had the government talked to students at the beginning the situation would not have reached such a level.     

 He said the biggest problem of this government is that it has no relationship with the people.

“They have no accountability to the public. That's why they can never understand the language of people's eyes, the language of people's minds. That's why they have no choice but to stay in power by resorting to force and torture,” the BNP leader said.

He said the way the government has suppressed the movement, it has now become clear to the global community a completely undemocratic and fascist government has been established in Bangladesh.

“This regime has no responsibility to the people and commitment to democracy. The photos of the people killed in the movement have gone abroad...the leaders of the democratic countries will speak about it," the BNP leader said.

He also slammed the government for accusing Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus of giving anti-state statements.

“They (govt) have long been trying to tarnish his (Yunus’) image and defame him. They filed cases against him…He will inaugurate the Olympics on August 14...He is so respected in the whole world. But is being told he has given a seditious statement,” Fakhrul said.

“If you speak the truth, you become an anti-state and anti-people element. Awami League is the real anti-state (party). Everything they have done for the last 15 years has gone against the country and against the people," he concluded.