A BNP leader saying it has no conflict with AL gives fascists a 'blank cheque': Hasnat
Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, has alleged that a senior BNP leader recently said his party is not bothered by the Awami League's (AL) participation in the next parliamentary election.
"A BNP senior leader blatantly said the party has no conflict with the Awami League. But he has forgotten, the former ruling party established fascism in Bangladesh politics. Enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and massacres have taken Bangladesh to the peak of anarchy. He [the BNP leader] did not hesitate to hand out a political 'blank cheque' to AL, which has been evading responsibility for numerous injustices and oppressions," Hasnat said in a post on his verified Facebook profile this evening (23 January).
Mentioning that the BNP leader, whom Hasnat did not name, said his party does not care if the Awami League participates in the national election, the student leader said, "But he forgot, this Awami League stripped the people of their voting rights during the last three national elections.
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"But BNP has forgotten, the mandate of the interim government that came as a result of the mass uprising is stronger than that of a political party who gets elected with 60-70% votes."
"It is because of this Awami League that the BNP was forced to boycott the previous national elections."
Earlier today, Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Md Nahid Islam said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's call for a neutral government essentially hints towards the formation of another 1/11-style administration.
"Awami fascism, rooted in the 1/11 changeover, emerged from that period. The BNP secretary general's remarks suggest the possibility of a similar government reemerging, continuing the trend of parliamentary dominance, reactive foreign policies, and the absence of justice for enforced disappearances, murders, and the July massacre," Nahid wrote in a Facebook post.
Referring to Fakhrul's remarks, Hasnat wrote in his post, "After the mass uprising in July, the time and opportunity arrived to make structural changes in Bangladesh. But instead, BNP underestimated this opportunity and showed up with the talk of a 1/11 government formula."
On the other hand, when the interim government was tasked with reforming the country, BNP showed up again and said the government does not have the mandate to carry out these reforms, Hasnat said.
"But BNP has forgotten, the mandate of the interim government that came as a result of the mass uprising is stronger than that of a political party who gets elected with 60-70% votes."
When a new political party emerged through the student-people mass uprising who were anti-fascist and had the July revolution spirit, Hasnat alleged that is why the BNP identified it as a threat against their party interests.
"According to [Bangla daily] Manab Zamin, the top leaders of BNP and Awami League expressed concerns and fears to thwart the initiative of forming a new political party which includes students. In other words, the BNP does not want to see the rise of a new political party combining students and the people, even if that means allowing the Awami League to enter the political arena of Bangladesh again," Hasnat wrote.
