PM says govt working to reopen closed factories

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman addressing a May Day rally 2026 at Paltan in Dhaka on Friday and echoes Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.

Dhaka, May 1 — Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Friday declared himself and his entire cabinet "workers" dedicated to building the nation, calling upon people from all walks of life, including the working class, to join a collective effort to build Bangladesh.

"As workers build factories, homes, roads and industries, I, too, want to enlist my name as a worker in the service of building Bangladesh. At the same time, I want to include all members of my cabinet as workers, because as you build different things, we want to stand beside you and contribute to building the country,” he told a workers’ rally.

Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal arranged the rally in front of the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, marking May Day.

The Prime Minister urged the country’s people to take a pledge on the day, also known as International Workers’ Day, to build their “desired Bangladesh."

He said as the people of the country are moving forward through hard work, the government wants to build the nation by staying with them with united efforts.

“That is why our election slogan was ‘we will work, we will build the country, Bangladesh come first’. This is our present slogan and our future slogan. Today, we have only one task — building the nation," Tarique Rahman said.

Describing their slogan as the government's guiding principle, he expressed confidence that Bangladesh would achieve its long-cherished aspirations through collective effort.

On the occasion of International Workers' Day, the Prime Minister urged people from all walks of life, irrespective of their gender, to take a vow to build a Bangladesh that every man and woman dreams of.

“Let each of us prepare ourselves as builders of the nation. We will spend the rest of our lives as workers dedicated to building the country,” he said.

As Tarique Rahman asked the audience whether they were ready to enlist themselves as workers in building the nation, they responded with a resounding “yes.”

In response, the Prime Minister said, “Alhamdulillah. We must remember the words of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman: ‘Bangladesh is my first, Bangladesh is my last. My life is for Bangladesh, my death is for Bangladesh.’ Let this Bangladesh be our first and last address. Today, once again, we reaffirm our commitment and pledge to build the nation.”

He also promised to reopen the factories that were shut down in recent years and set up new ones to create employment opportunities and develop the country.

“We know that when industries and factories are established, they create employment for workers. If workers stay well, the country will remain well. We also know that if farmers do well, Bangladesh will do well. In other words, when ordinary working people are better off, the country as a whole prospers,” Tarique Rahman observed. 

Criticising the past Awami League government, he alleged that workers and other working people, students, teachers and politicians were deprived of their rights over the years and thus the economy became import-dependent.

The Prime Minister said many industries were shut down during that time, affecting employment, and promised steps to reopen closed factories.

“We have taken initiatives to gradually reopen the factories that were shut down in previous years. I have instructed the relevant authorities to take steps to determine how quickly each factory can be brought back into operation and to ensure rapid employment opportunities for unemployed workers. A meeting on this matter is scheduled for this week,” he said.

Tarique Rahman also said the government is working to create new employment opportunities both at home and abroad by encouraging local and foreign investment.

Referring to the eviction of street vendors in Dhaka, he said the government is taking steps to rehabilitate them.

“It is not enough to remove hawkers; we must ensure they can survive and earn a living,” the Prime Minister said, adding that a phased rehabilitation process has already begun.

At the beginning of his speech, he paid tribute to those who were killed in the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 anti-autocracy movement, and various movements over the past one and a half decades, praying for the salvation of their souls.

Tarique Rahman, also the Chairman of BNP, recalled past crackdowns, saying BNP and its affiliated bodies faced fear and attacks during rallies in Nayapaltan just a few years ago.

He said what is now a peaceful gathering was once marked by intimidation, and added that people have not forgotten those incidents.

The Prime Minister also noted that on August 5, 2024, the people, through a student-led movement, removed the autocratic regime from power.

He expressed gratitude to residents living around the BNP office, saying they supported BNP leaders and activists in various ways during movements and attacks over the past 17 years.

Workers and supporters of BNP from different wards of Dhaka, as well as industrial districts, including Gazipur, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Munshiganj and Manikganj, joined the programme.

Thousands of leaders and activists of Sramik Dal wearing red caps attended the rally with banners, turning the stretch from Kakrail to Fakirerpool into a sea of people.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan, and Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, among others, addressed the rally. - UNB