Bahçeli calling PKK leader Öcalan 'founding leader' sparks backlash! 'The only leader we know is Atatürk!'

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli's reference to PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan as the "founding leader of the PKK" in statements made on his social media account has sparked major controversy. Bahçeli's remarks have led to harsh reactions.

Retired Brigadier General Ali Er evaluated Bahçeli's statements as a deviation from the MHP's core values, while IYI Party Deputy Chair Kevser Ofluoğlu stated that these remarks are seen as a step toward legitimizing members of the terrorist organization on the international stage. The contrast between Bahçeli's past statements and these recent remarks has resonated widely in Turkey's political agenda.

Retired Brigadier General Ali Er said, "This shows that the MHP has entered a period different from all its fundamental founding values. It is useful to define this statement as throwing a live grenade in front of the nation. As a former soldier, I consider it a sign of disrespect to the oath we took and to the martyrs we gave in the fight against terrorism in that region."

FROM 'IMRALI VILLAIN' TO 'FOUNDING LEADER'

Before the Imralı process, Bahçeli used to refer to Öcalan as the "Imralı villain."

Speaking to Cumhuriyet, retired Brigadier General Ali Er stated, "Elevating him to the status of 'founding leader' must be considered an unfortunate expression for the chairman of a party that has adopted nationalism as its motto in Turkey. I know that he did this not during a speech or as an off-the-cuff Q&A, but through the party's official account. Therefore, this shows that the MHP has entered a period different from all its fundamental founding values."

Er added, "If Öcalan is a 'founding leader,' then Mr. Bahçeli and the MHP under his leadership are ready to accept a definition outside of the definition of 'Turk' determined in the constitution. It is a very unfortunate assessment; as a former soldier, I especially consider it a sign of disrespect to the oath we took and to the martyrs we gave in the fight against terrorism in that region."

Er also said:

"Let alone the founding principles and constitutional order of the Republic of Turkey, it is contrary to the MHP's core concept. It is useful to define this statement as throwing a live grenade in front of the nation."

OFLUOĞLU: THE PATH TO LEGITIMIZATION

IYI Party Deputy Chair and retired Colonel Kevser Ofluoğlu reacted, saying, "The PKK is a bloody terrorist organization that is accepted as a terrorist group in Turkey and many other countries, and is the murderer of tens of thousands of our people. The Imralı villain, who was a terrorist leader until just yesterday, has become a 'founding leader.' In this case, what does that make the members of the terrorist organization?" Ofluoğlu added, "Is it possible that they do not know what these steps, taken under the guise of a 'Turkey without terrorism,' will cost Turkey on the international stage in terms of legitimizing the treacherous terrorist organization and its members? There is only one founding leader we know, and that is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey."