kamrul hasan: Former member of the Manikganj District BNP and General Secretary of the Daulatpur Upazila BNP, Anisur Rahman Anis, has alleged that the allies of the current autocratic regime remain active across the country, plotting to tarnish the political image of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and to suppress its growing wave of public support. In an exclusive interview with The Muslim Times on Wednesday afternoon, Anis said, “Attempts are being made to destroy personal reputation and popularity, as well as to suppress BNP’s nationwide popularity. Fake social media accounts are being used to spread vulgar, false, and misleading propaganda against political figures and respected citizens of the country. This is a dangerous trend for democracy and social stability.” Anis strongly denied recent media reports that accused him of misconduct, describing them as fabricated, baseless, and politically motivated. He said,“Two reports published on the Daily Inqilab online portal titled ‘Attack and vandalism to assert influence—locals urge swift action against the gang’ and another in the local newspaper Amar News titled ‘BNP leader Anis accused of extortion, land grabbing and vandalism in Daulatpur’ are entirely false. These reports were deliberately circulated to defame me politically.” According to Anis, the controversy began on Saturday afternoon when several individuals—identified as Ward Member Moinul Member, Abul Kashem Kashmir, and Yahia Molla—attempted to build shops on government-owned land adjacent to Kalyanpur High School in the Bachamara Union of Daulatpur upazila, Manikganj. Local residents opposed the move and stopped the construction. Anis claimed that his political opponents took advantage of the minor incident and distorted it in the media for political gain. “It was a small, local issue, but vested groups turned it into a fabricated scandal to serve their agenda. The public will never tolerate such conspiracies. Everyone must unite against these destructive forces,” he added. Former local council member Tofazzal Hossain, a respected elder in the community, said, “Those who tried to build the shops were attempting to occupy government land. Locals stopped them, but dragging Anis’s name into this is completely baseless. This is nothing but a smear campaign by his political opponents.” Union BNP President Shafiqul Islam Shafik of the same village said, “Under the influence of a school teacher, Alomgir Hossain, and the school’s managing committee chairman, Roknuzzaman Rokon, those people tried to set up shops on government property. When locals resisted, they turned to the media with false claims. Anis is a popular and philanthropic leader — such propaganda is only aimed at tarnishing his image.” Local elder Nazir Matbor (80) said, “Anis was not even in the area; he lives with his family in Savar. Yet, false propaganda was spread against him. This is an attack on freedom and democracy. Legal action should be taken against those who fabricated these lies.” The president of Ward No. 4 BNP, Imdadul Haque, echoed similar sentiments, saying, “Such false accusations are made only to discredit a popular leader. No one can destroy a person’s popularity through lies. We expect the law enforcement authorities to conduct a fair investigation and hold those responsible accountable.” Reiterating his commitment to democratic politics, Anisur Rahman Anis said, “BNP does not fear any conspiracy or threat against the state. The party has always believed in peace, progress, and the welfare of the people. Now, even those who endured persecution and imprisonment during the party’s hardest times are being targeted with false propaganda to create political instability.” “Those who are spreading confusion to halt the democratic movement are in fact the allies of the autocrat. But they will never succeed—because the real strength of the BNP lies in the people, and no propaganda can silence that strength.”