Tarique Rahman has taken politics to grassroots level

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan has said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman played a key role in taking politics to the grassroots level in Bangladesh.

Speaking at a discussion organised as part of the “Zia Smriti Boimela-2026” at the Bangla Academy premises on Wednesday, Moyeen Khan said Tarique Rahman travelled across the country between 2001 and 2006, meeting young people in local markets and rural areas and working to organise them politically.

According to the minister, those efforts contributed to the transformation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) into its present form.

The discussion was organised by Zia Smriti Pathagar and Jatiyatabadi Prokashana Sangstha to mark the BNP’s 48th founding anniversary. Moyeen Khan attended the programme as the chief guest.

Speaking about the legacy of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Moyeen Khan highlighted discipline, honesty and service to the people as three defining qualities of the former president.

He also credited Ziaur Rahman with playing a significant role in Bangladesh’s independence, saying he believed the country’s independence might not have been achieved without his declaration.

Moyeen Khan said those who identify with Ziaur Rahman’s nationalism would continue working for the people.

The minister also used the event to discuss the history and changing form of books. He traced the origins of written books to around 3000 BC, when writing began on stone and clay, and described later developments in Egypt, China and Rome, where scrolls became an important form of recorded knowledge.

He said the codex form that resembles the modern book emerged later, while the invention of the printing press in Germany around 1440 brought a major transformation to the spread of books. The development eventually led to modern digital formats, including e-books.

Moyeen Khan expressed concern over the impact of new technology on traditional bookshops and emphasized the continuing importance of libraries as repositories of knowledge.

He said the historical destruction of libraries demonstrated how closely books and knowledge are connected to the survival of civilizations. He urged people, particularly the younger generation, to maintain the habit of reading and stressed that education is essential for a nation’s progress.

Syeda Fatema Salam, vice-president of the central committee of Zia Smriti Pathagar, chaired the programme, while Amanullah Aman, organising secretary of Chhatra Dal, moderated the discussion.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam and Member of Parliament Nilufar Chowdhury were among those who also addressed the event.