Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Friday called for national unity and equality, urging voters to reject division and strengthen his party’s hands to build a just, corruption-free Bangladesh ahead of the referendum and 13th Jatiya Sangsad election.

Addressing a public rally at the Rangpur Public Library ground, organised by a 10-party electoral alliance including Jamaat-e-Islami, Rahman said the country should no longer be divided or fragmented.

He appealed to citizens to respond to the call for unity and equality and support the alliance in the election.

He said that if given the opportunity to serve the nation through the election, his party would invite all to jointly run the country for the next five years, subject to three conditions: no corruption, no shelter for corrupt individuals, and ensuring justice for all while abandoning what he described as rotten, money-driven politics.

Warning voters against dishonest leaders, Rahman said people should not be misled by attractive promises made by those lacking integrity. He said anyone who speaks of building Bangladesh must prove through their character that they are fit to do so, adding that corrupt individuals often sell colourful dreams during elections only to deceive the public.

He urged voters to identify such forces and reject them decisively.

The Jamaat chief said the people of Bangladesh, especially the youth who shed blood during the mass uprising, were eager to see a country where fascism would never return and corruption would have no place.

He said his party was committed to fulfilling the aspirations of those youths and was prepared to continue the struggle for as long as necessary until those goals were achieved.

Referring to developments after the political change of the 5th, Rahman said there had been hope that lessons would be learned from the fallen government and that people’s lives, dignity and property would be protected.

He said that expectation had not been fulfilled. He claimed Jamaat had refrained from filing thousands of cases, lodging only eight cases with a single accused in each, to avoid harassment of innocent people. Having suffered imprisonment repeatedly over the past 15 and a half years, he said his party did not want anyone else to become a victim of vengeance or greed.

Rahman said Jamaat wanted to build a Bangladesh based on equality, free from corruption, extortion and dominance. He said the party sought a country rooted in justice, echoing the demands of youths who had taken to the streets calling for justice.

On employment, he said Jamaat did not want to create what he termed a factory of unemployment by offering jobless allowances. Instead, the party aimed to equip every able-bodied man and woman with skills and provide dignified employment.

Addressing concerns about women’s participation in the workforce, Rahman said women played essential roles both at home and in society and must not be excluded. He said women of all religions and communities would be given work opportunities according to their skills.

The rally, chaired by Rangpur city Jamaat Ameer ATM Azam Khan, was also addressed by Jamaat senior Nayeb-e-Ameer ATM Azharul Islam, NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, Jamaat central working committee member and Rangpur-Dinajpur regional assistant director Maulana Momtaz Uddin, Islami Chhatra Shibir central secretary Sibgatullah, and Jamaat candidates from Rangpur-1, Rangpur-3, Rangpur-5 and Rangpur-6 constituencies.

At the end of the programme, Dr Shafiqur Rahman introduced the alliance candidates and urged voters to ensure their victory in the upcoming election, while also calling for a Yes vote in the referendum.