The recent fire at the Secretariat, which reportedly destroyed important documents, cannot be dismissed as a coincidence, claimed BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Speaking at a discussion at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) on Thursday (December 26), he alleged that the fire was deliberately set to erase records from Sheikh Hasina's tenure after requests for these documents arose. Rizvi called for an impartial state investigation into the matter.

Criticizing Sheikh Hasina, Rizvi remarked that her governance has been more ruthless than that of former Jatiya Party chairman, the late Hussain Muhammad Ershad. He accused India of sheltering Sheikh Hasina and orchestrating a systematic propaganda campaign through the media. Rizvi further alleged that India supports enforced disappearances, killings, and crossfires carried out during Hasina's regime, as part of an attempt to establish a neo-colonial presence through her. However, he emphasized that Bangladesh will move forward on the path of true democracy.

Commenting on reports of efforts to form a new political party, Rizvi expressed concern over intelligence agencies’ involvement in determining political alignments, questioning how this differs from Sheikh Hasina's policies. He warned that such practices will not be accepted by the people and criticized any repetition of the authoritarian tendencies seen under figures like Moinuddin-Fakhruddin, Ershad, or Hasina, questioning the value of such changes.