Rizvi Boycotts India by Burning His Wife’s Saree

Staff Correspondent

BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General, Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, set fire to an Indian saree at a political event, as part of a boycott against Indian products. The saree, which had been used by Rizvi’s wife, was handed over to him specifically for this symbolic protest.

Rizvi stated during the event, “Although India has disrespected our flag, we will boycott their products.”

Earlier this year, on March 22, Rizvi had burned an Indian shawl he was wearing as a protest.

On Thursday, December 5, at a program organized by the General Physicians Society in front of the National Press Club, Rizvi repeated his stance on boycotting Indian goods. During the speech, Rizvi took out a red saree from his bag and said, “This is the Indian saree. It belonged to my wife, and she gave it to me for this purpose. Today, I throw it before you.”

He then threw the saree onto the street, and instructed his party workers to set it on fire. Following his orders, the workers burned the saree while chanting slogans like “Boycott Indian Products” and “Delhi or Dhaka, Dhaka Dhaka.”

Rizvi also accused India of disrespecting Bangladesh’s sovereignty. He mentioned incidents in Agartala, where individuals had damaged the gate of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission and attacked staff. He also referred to an incident where India’s high commission in Kolkata had made derogatory remarks.

He applauded the Bangladesh government’s decision to stop issuing visas to Indian nationals, stating, “We will eat only once a day if necessary, but we will not bow our heads.”

Addressing the crowd, Rizvi emphasized, “You don’t like us, but we still have to buy your products? The people of Bangladesh will never lower their heads. Even if we eat only one meal a day, we will not surrender.”

The senior BNP leader further stated, “I tell my people, they (India) tried to undermine our dignity, they have burned our flag; but we will not disrespect their flag. We will not belittle another nation’s sovereignty. We will respect the independence and sovereignty of all nations. We will not stoop to their level.”