(BSS) - BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi today urged to enact effective and welfare-oriented laws to ensure dignity, security and respect for laborers and motor vehicle drivers across the country.

"Working-class people earn their livelihood through hard labor but are often subjected to harassment without justification, particularly in Dhaka city. Had there been people-friendly laws, drivers of Uber, Pathao, CNG autorickshaws and other vehicles would not face such treatment," he said.

Rizvi made the remarks while inaugurating the organizational programme planning office of the Bangladesh Nationalist Motor Vehicle Drivers` Dal at Nayapaltan in the capital.

He said the poor and laboring classes suffer the most abuse and harassment, stressing the need to transform driving into a profitable, dignified and respected profession. "We must think about how to free them from harassment and ensure a respectable life," he said.

Referring to the United States, Rizvi said many Bangladeshis, including engineers and doctors, earn a living by driving taxis or ride-sharing vehicles there without social discrimination. "There, a taxi driver and an MP enjoy the same social value. We must build such a society here as well," he added.

Rizvi said BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has outlined this vision in the party`s 31-point programme, which seeks to eliminate discrimination based on occupation.

"Drivers of Pathao, Uber and CNG will be among the most respected members of society. The government must enact laws to protect and honor them," he added.

Rizvi also said unemployed university graduates should not hesitate to take up driving as an independent profession to support their families. "The state must ensure this profession is respected. Whoever it is, if unemployed, they should be able to learn driving and earn with dignity," he said.

Addressing leaders of the Nationalist Motor Vehicle Drivers` Dal, Rizvi said the organization should work not only for rallies and meetings but also to protect drivers from harassment and police brutality, while ensuring passenger safety through proper laws.

"If the laws of the country are people-friendly and welfare-oriented, no one will be oppressed or abused," he said.