Dhaka, Nov. 20 -- BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said that "mob violence" must be eliminated if Bangladesh is to establish a truly democratic system.

"The first principle of democracy is tolerance of differing opinions," he said. "But what do we see here? I will speak, but I will not allow you to speak. I will beat you, incite mob violence, gather a crowd and shout, 'Break it, smash it, beat him to death.'. This is not democracy."

Fakhrul made the remarks while unveiling the cover of a book titled "Chobbisher Gono-Obbhutthane BNP (BNP's Role in the Mass Uprising of 2024)", edited by photojournalist Babul Talukder.

He expressed concern that a certain group is attempting to distract public attention from t...