BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has given a face-to-face interview to the media after two decades. In the interview, he spoke about various issues including his return to the country. The interview was released on Monday (October 6) morning.

In an interview with BBC Bangla Editor Mir Sabbir and BBC Bangla Senior Journalist Qadir Kallol, Tarique Rahman said he would return home soon.

In response to a question in an interview about why he hasn't returned to the country yet, he said, "Maybe for some reason, the return hasn't happened yet. But I think the time has come. Insha'Allah, I will return soon."

When asked when that would be, the BNP acting chairman said, "I think it will be soon. Soon, God willing."

Is it possible that you will come to the country before the election? In response, Tarique Rahman said, 'When I do politics, as a political activist, I have a natural relationship with elections, political parties and political activists. So how can I stay away during an election where there is an expected election, expected by the people? I will try my best, I will have the desire, I will have the interest in the expected election that the people want. When that expected election is held, I will be among the people, with the people, Insha Allah.'

Some people are talking about security concerns about coming to the country. In response to the question of whether you have felt any kind of fear, he said, "We have heard about various kinds of fears many times from different people. Many times, many fears have been published in various media outlets, from different people in the government."

At the beginning of the interview, the acting chairman of BNP said, "Time is naturally busy. Physically I may be in this country, but mentally and emotionally, I have remained in Bangladesh for the past 17 years."

When asked about not speaking to the media for a long time, Tarique Rahman said, "I don't think it's like that, it seems a little different. Actually, I was right. I have been here in this country for 17 years, living in exile, but since the responsibility of the party has fallen on me, I have spoken to everyone, including my leaders and activists, in villages and towns, whenever the common people have participated at different levels."

"You must know that during the previous authoritarian regime, my right to speak was stopped by a court order. If I had wanted to say something to the media, maybe the media wanted to print it, but the media could not have printed it."

The acting chairman of BNP said, "I once spoke at the Press Club. The next day, I saw that the members or committee of the Press Club at that time called a meeting and decided that they would not allow such a person to speak at the Press Club, as I was then called a fugitive in the eyes of the law. In this way, they tried to stop me from speaking."

He said, "I spoke, I tried to reach out through various means including social media, I reached out to the people, God willing. So, what I didn't say in the media is not true. I spoke, maybe you couldn't take it or listen to it. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't print it, maybe you couldn't publicize it. But I said it, I didn't stop."