BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed today dismissed any attempt to portray his party as being opposed to the July uprising and urged everyone to refrain from misinterpreting his statements.

"I just want to say that our young generation, who were involved in the July uprising, gave their lives and faced bullets -- they may have some minor faults or made some small mistakes," Salahuddin said at the BNP chairperson's office in Dhaka's Gulshan.

"They are like our children. They might make some mistakes. We don't take those so seriously," he added.

The briefing was held today following NCP chief Nahid Islam's comment on a statement made by Salahuddin yesterday.

Yesterday, Nahid asked Salahuddin to apologise for calling July fighters, who had gathered at the venue of the July Charter signing ceremony -- the "fascist followers of Awami League".

"In this context, the Jamaat ameer made a post. I saw that he also urged not to call the July fighters 'allies of fascism' in any speech. I agree with that. And all of us should hold on to that statement. They should too," said Salahuddin.

Replying to a question about his Saturday's speech, he said, "I don't think it was distorted. But they [political leaders] gave their statements, cutting out a part of my statement."

He further said, "Due to their age, many may have spoken emotionally. I don't want to criticise that."

The BNP leader said, "Those who identify themselves as the force of July uprising and have formed new political parties inspired by that spirit -- I wish them a bright future."

"They are the future leaders of the state. They will run this country in the future. Their contribution to taking Bangladesh forward in a democratic way is immense," he added.

In response to a question whether there was an attempt to portray BNP as being against the July uprising, Salahuddin said, "If we think that within just 36 days a fascist force or fascist rulers have fallen, that's not right. That's the consequence. The July uprising is the outcome of a continuous 16 years of movement and struggle," he said.

The BNP leader said, "So far, we have published a list of 422 BNP leaders and activists who were killed in the uprising. The number will be even higher."

"...We have to remember, not just any one political party, but all political parties that have contributed to the democratic struggle against fascism," he added.

Asked whether there were doubts or confusion regarding the election, the BNP leader said, "Alright, if I may pose a counter question: has any political party said so far that they don't want the election in February? If you know, let me know. Everyone has said the election should be held in the first half of February. Then why should there be any doubt?"

In response to a question about the ongoing protest with several demands including proportional representation, he said, "This is a democratic practice. We have given our lives for this. People will make different demands on the streets, they will try to build public opinion, and they will continue the struggle in a democratic way. We have given our lives for it. This practice will continue."

Asked about the recent fire incidents in different parts of the country, he said the matters are under investigation.

"The government has probably formed an investigation panel. Let their findings come first. But I think some of these incidents might be linked, maybe done by some groups to create unrest in the country," he said.

"Along with that, the fallen fascist allies and the fallen fascist forces may also be involved. But we can't say that before the investigation is completed," he added.