Shawdesh desk;
Alongside carrying on a movement to realise its demand of holding the national election under a non-party government, the BNP has also been watching its leaders and allies closely, fearing that some of them might join the national polls defying the opposition’s decisions reading the matter.
“The government has been trying to split our party and create a division among the allies who have been waging a movement alongside us for the last 15 years, but it has failed. They may lure them again ahead of polls but would not be successful,” BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan told the Daily Sun.
BNP sources said after the party’s Vice-Chairman Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed in a press conference rejected rumours that he might form a new political party, the opposition high command breathed a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, the incident has made them alert about potential revolts inside the party ahead of the next general election.
“It is not true that I will form a new political party. I am not active in politics right now. If the BNP takes part in the election, I will participate. I am still with the BNP and will stay with the party,” said Hafiz at the press conference on 8 November.
The ruling Awami League leaders have said if BNP boycotts the next national election, then some of the opposition leaders may participate in the election defying their party’s decision.
“The party leaders and activists would have been disappointed if Hafiz Uddin did not make his stance clear to the public while a number of leaders were in a dubious position,” a central leader of the BNP told the Daily Sun wishing not to be named.
BNP insiders said a number of the party’s leaders, including three of its vice-chairmen, decided to contest the next general election defying the high command’s decision, but their initiative was foiled as the party high command came to know their intention and took instant measures against them.
The party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman has also assigned some of his fellows to keep a close eye on the movement of a number of BNP leaders to prevent them from splitting the party and contesting the next general election violating the party’s decision, the sources added.
As many as 36 political parties have been carrying out movements along with the BNP, demanding the next national election under a non-party, neutral poll-time government.
The opposition parties have also declared that they will not participate in the next general election if it is held under the current Awami League government.
“It is our decision that we will not participate in the next parliamentary election under the incumbent government,” Abdyl Moyeen Khan reiterated their party’s stance over the polls.
In this situation, the BNP has approached some other political parties outside their platform for a simultaneous movement but they have not become successful yet in their effort as Jatiya Party is preparing to contest the next national election under the party in power.
“We have not taken the final decision about participating in the next general election under this government. But we are preparing to contest all the 300 constituencies in the upcoming parliamentary polls,” Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader told the Daily Sun.
Sources said some of the BNP allies are maintaining a close contact with the government secretly and they are interested in participating in the polls under the party in power if they get their expected benefits from the ruling Awami League.
“Actually some of the parties are waiting to take the final decision. If the BNP movement proceeds to be a failure then a number of parties will join the polls under this government,” an anonymous leader of an opposition party told the Daily Sun.
BNP sources said the party hoped that some other Islamic parties including Islami Andolon Bangladesh would join their movement, but they only extended support to the movement instead of joining it actively.
It has also been keeping an eye on some of its other allies, including Jamaat, fearing that the Islamist party may finally come to an understanding with the government, the sources added.
Talking to Daily Sun, Saiful Huq, one of the top leaders of Ganatantra Manch, said, “The government will try to split our platform of movement, but it will not be successful. Being lured, one or two parties might leave us, but that would not affect our movement at all.”
The BNP has already declared that if they are voted to power in the next election, they will form the government with all the parties which are waging movement against the incumbent government.
Ahead of the 2018 general election, Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP) and National Democratic Party (NDP) and a faction of Bangladesh Labour Party quit the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
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