Tarek: ‘Seventy-one cannot be erased’ after 71 hours of hunger strike

‘Robber student advisors’ are behind the lack of registration

Staff Correspondent

Despite the registration of the Bangladesh Aam Janata Party led by controversial Destiny Group Managing Director Rafiqul Amin, the popular youth party Bangladesh Aam Janata Party has been on a hunger strike for 71 hours as it has not been registered. The hunger strike of the party’s member secretary Tarique Rahman has crossed 71 hours as of Friday.

On Friday afternoon, in front of the Election Commission building, where he was on hunger strike, he said, “After July, there have been attempts to erase the word ’71’ in various ways. You know who did it. That’s why I tried to come this far, even though it was difficult, and now I have to stay longer. 1971 cannot be erased.”

According to Tarek, his party’s registration process was stopped due to phone calls from rogue student advisors.

Party sources said that despite the efforts of party leaders to break the hunger strike, he did not agree. He also refused the request to give him saline on the advice of the doctor.

Political circles have raised the question, “The EC itself is losing the trust of the people by legitimizing the head of an organization like Destiny.”

Rashed Khan, general secretary of the People’s Rights Council, said, “Granting registration to a party formed by the MD of an organization like Destiny that steals from the people means damaging the credibility of the EC.”

Security analyst Aminul Haque believes, “It is a grave moral failure of the EC to hand over the party registration to a person who was in jail for embezzling money.”

Various organizations including the People’s Rights Council, the Socialist Party, the Save the Country, Save the People Movement, and the Social Welfare Council have expressed solidarity at the hunger strike. They say, “In a country where looters are given legitimacy, the people are deprived of politics.”

On Friday evening, Tarique Rahman’s health condition was deteriorating, according to party doctors. However, he announced that he would continue his hunger strike until his demands were met.

Rafiqul’s political rise: Release from prison, then party formation

According to court documents, Rafiqul Amin was arrested in a money laundering case in 2012 and served time in prison for embezzling more than Tk 4,000 crore. He remained in prison until August 2024.

He was also in jail when the Awami League government fell. After the change of government, he got the opportunity to be released through political influence. On the advice of prison officials, Rafiqul took the initiative to get released based on the recommendation of the political party.

Then on April 17, 2025, he announced a new party, the Bangladesh Aam Janaaz Party, with himself as the convener and Fatema Tasmin as the member secretary.

The affected investors of Destiny Group then formed a human chain in front of the election building to oppose Rafiqul’s registration. Affected Muhibub Zaman said, “The person who took our money in the name of selling trees is now being given an opportunity to do politics – this is a betrayal of the people.”