Tarique pledges jobs, skills, public safety

Published : Saturday, 24 January, 2026 at 12:53 PM Count : 96

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chair Tarique Rahman has pledged to prioritise employment generation, skills development, and public security if his party forms the next government.

He placed these issues at the centre of his campaign messages while addressing an election rally at the BRP ground in the capital’s Bhashantek area as part of the BNP’s electioneering for the Dhaka-17 Jatiya Sangsad constituency.

During the meeting, Tarique invited four voters having different professions onto the stage and asked them to share the problems faced by local residents and their expectations of the BNP if the party is elected in the February 12 Jatiya Sangsad elections.

‘If the BNP is voted to power, we will solve the rehabilitation problem along with the unemployment issue raised here today,’ he said, describing it as his personal commitment to the people of the area.

Referring to political developments since August 5, 2024, Tarique said that the country had entered a phase of change, adding that people wanted meaningful and positive transformation.

He said that the focus of such change should be on solving everyday problems, ensuring public safety, establishing good governance, and expanding opportunities for the students and the unemployed youth.

Outlining his party plans in this regard, he said that the BNP aimed to invest heavily in skills development, noting that many Bangladeshis go abroad each year for work without adequate training.

The party has, he said, planned to provide vocational training to young men and women so they could become self-reliant, whether by way of entrepreneurship at home or employment abroad.

Tarique once again promised to introduce ‘family cards’ for women managing households, alongside agriculture cards for farmers.

The agriculture card would facilitate access to loans, insurance, fertiliser and seeds, helping to strengthen food security and rural livelihoods, he said.

He also highlighted plans to reform the country’s sports sector to enable boys and girls to become professional athletes and make a living in sports.

Stressing the need for reconstruction after years of political struggles, he said that many sectors had been damaged over the past decade and a half and would need rebuilding.

Tarique said that such reconstruction would only be possible through the restoration of democracy and accountable governance at all levels -- from local government to parliament.

Only a government elected by the people can effectively address issues such as security, employment, education, and healthcare, he said.

Urging voters to support the BNP, he called on supporters to ensure a nationwide victory for the sheaf of paddy to implement the party’s plans.

FP/A