The gap between BNP’s words and actions
The BNP top leadership has so far aligned its messaging with the spirit of the July revolution, urging people and its activists to exercise tolerance, restraint and empathy. Its activists, however, appear not to be hearing all the time
Of late, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party leadership has been saying all the right things.
Right after the fall of Sheikh Hasina, Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman, urged his party members to stay vigilant to protect minority communities. Later, 44 activists were expelled from the party for engaging in violence before 11 August.
The BNP even issued show cause notices to its Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed and Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon for using vehicles belonging to the controversial businessman S Alam's group.
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The party issued directives asking party members not to use motorcycles or cars while rallying to prevent public nuisance, and not to hang posters, banners or festoons in places that may look odd.
Yet, on the ground, when it comes to the actual behaviour and actions of BNP activists, we are faced with a different reality.
BNP activists have reportedly been involved in extortion, violence and vindictive attacks on Awami League activists across the country. They have rushed to take over the extortion rackets abandoned by AL leaders, be it public transport, markets or even government offices.
A few party members have been detained in Barisal, Dhaka, Tangail, Munshiganj, Khulna, and Netrokona for alleged attempts at extortion. In Faridpur, a member was killed during a clash between two competing BNP factions. In Barguna, the son of a local BNP leader was seen assaulting a freedom fighter.
Such incidents raise doubts about how sincere BNP is in implementing the lofty ideals its leadership is projecting. TBS talked to Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, senior joint secretary general of BNP, and Anu Muhammad, political activist and former Jahangirnagar University professor, about BNP's role in Bangladesh 2.0.
'We, BNP, are doing everything we can to keep our members in line'
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed
Senior Joint Secretary General, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
BNP is committed to ensuring that the party members abide by the law. Unfortunately, there have been a few incidents, which we strongly condemn. The party is taking active measures to promote good political practices and assist the process of democratisation of Bangladesh.
However, you must understand that ours is a large party, with chapters all across the country and millions of active members. Some unfortunate incidents, even though we are taking all the precautions, may occur. It is a herculean task to maintain everyone, so, a few isolated incidents have happened.
For 15 or 16 years, hundreds of thousands of BNP activists have been subjected to Awami League repression. The suffering they endured knows no match. So, having a grudge against Awami League leaders is natural. And despite our best efforts, some cases of vengeful actions have occurred.
Still, these are only a few isolated incidents, and the perpetrators have been promptly dealt with.
We, BNP, are doing everything we can to keep our members in line. We have recently expelled the members who have broken the laws. We even sent show-cause notices to our standing committee members. We filed a case against our own unruly member who broke the law. Who else has set such an example?
The nation still remembers the time when Shamim Osman was accused of being involved in the killing of Tanwir Muhammad Taqi, and Sheikh Hasina herself defended him on the floor of the parliament. When Awami League MPs created havoc across the country, they were given shelter by their party. Look at us, we are not providing our rogue members any refuge.
Yet, the news of us taking action is not being highlighted in the media. This creates an unfair perception of us. We are willing to help the law enforcement in their investigation.
BNP has no place for miscreants. We will keep taking steps against any such elements as we want to show the people of the country our commitment towards democracy.
'BNP should now focus on reforming themselves'
Anu Muhammad
Retired Professor, Department of Economics, Jahangirnagar University
We are witnessing extortion and conflicts resurfacing in various places. It's unexpected. If these continue, we will see a repetition of the same old situation we have seen in the past 15 years. BNP will begin to resemble the Awami League in character. Having been out of power for such a long time, they should now focus on reforming themselves.
The recent mass uprising has opened a window of opportunity for the BNP. They have benefited from the changes. This is a significant opportunity for them. Their main responsibility now is to organise the party and make it more democratic.
BNP needs to ensure that all party workers have participation within the party. It is crucial for them to break free from the culture of being a leader-centric party. If they fail to do so as a political party, we will witness the same situation as before.
If even a remote member of the BNP engages in extortion, the central leadership will inevitably be held accountable. It won't be acceptable for the central leadership to say that they are not being listened to. There is no way they can avoid this responsibility.
