Dhaka, Nov. 22 -- BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed has called on political groups not to claim "exclusive ownership" of last year's student-led mass uprising, warning that attempts to "commercialise its spirit" would be met with public rejection.

Speaking at a rally organised by the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal at Dhaka's Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday, the BNP Standing Committee member said the events of July 2024 were the product of a long struggle, not merely the result of a 36-day movement.

The uprising, culminating in the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, followed months of protests over government job quota reforms. Many senior party leaders, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, left the countr...