Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday accused certain political factions of attempting to instigate nationwide anarchy by exploiting untoward incidents, cautioning citizens to remain vigilant against those seeking to mislead the public.

The Prime Minister delivered these remarks while launching the rehabilitation work for the BDT 1,542 crore Muhuri-Kohua Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation Project (Phase I) at the Kheya Ghat site near the Muhuri Bridge in Parshuram upazila.

Highlighting various government initiatives—including the Family Card, Farmers' Card, canal excavation drives, expansion of upazila health complexes and the reopening of closed mills and factories—he warned that any disruption to these developmental endeavors would ultimately cause hardship for the general public.

“But some political parties are plotting to create anarchy. We have seen what role these political parties played in 1971. We saw what they did at that time, how they committed various injustices and how they harassed and tortured women,” PM Tarique Rahman stated.

He further noted that these political forces managed to secure a few parliamentary seats in the previous general election by deceiving voters, alleging that they are now treating that limited electoral gain as an absolute mandate.

“We are seeing that, just as they tortured women in 1971, we are again seeing violence against women by them. We are seeing how some members of their covert force are torturing women. And they did not stop at torture. An investigation is underway, and I do not want to comment on a matter that is under investigation. But people say that they did not stop after torturing; ultimately, they ended a person’s life,” the Prime Minister said.

Observing that every nation has both good and bad actors, he added, “Some bad people are creating some untoward incidents.”

Urging public discernment, he stressed, “Today the time has come for us to be cautious about how we will run our country. Today the time has come to decide whose words we will believe and whose words we will not believe. Today the time has come to decide whom the people will support and whom the people will not support.”

Directly addressing media statements made by figures belonging to what he characterized as a “covert group,” the Prime Minister noted that these leaders continue to offer unsolicited counsel despite severe internal controversies.

“I saw in different media outlets that the leaders of that covert group are giving us a lot of advice, telling us to do this and that. Today, in front of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people here, I want to tell them: please look at your own house first. First deal with how people in your own house are torturing women and doing these things, and then come to tell others what to do,” the Prime Minister remarked.

Reaffirming the imperative of constitutional stability, the Prime Minister declared that the nation must preserve its democratic system above all else.

“Today the time has come to continue the democratic process of the country at any cost. During the election, we saw how a covert force tried to mislead the people of the country by talking about selling various tickets,” he said.

“Today the time has come to protect the country from them. We have seen how, since the country’s independence and during the Liberation War, they stood against the interests of the country. In 1986, we saw how they stood against democracy. At every point, we have seen that the people of this covert force have always stood against the interests of the people of the country,” he concluded.

With Inputs from UNB