Shawdesh Desk:

Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus may become a ‘prime face’ for the anti-Awami League platforms during the next general election to fulfil his cherished political ambition developed after the 1/11 changeover.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is also taking the chance as Dr Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, is showing an interest in becoming the prime face of that platform, political sources said.

They said Dr Yunus has been trying to put him at the helm of the power with blessings of ‘foreign friends’ by ousting the Awami League government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Intelligence sources have also found a base of Dr Yunus’s political ambition of becoming the Prime Minister of the country.

While quizzing two arrestees of Grameen Telecom Workers-Employees Union, the Detective Branch came to know that the arrestees were threatened with dire consequences if they would not withdraw the cases against Dr Yunus.

“The situation in Bangladesh would be like Sri Lanka and Dr Yunus would be the Prime Minister through changing the power. After that, such cases will go in vain and none will get the compensation rather the union leaders will face oppression and will have to land in jail,” DB Additional Commissioner Harun Ur Rashid told reporters on Wednesday.

Dr Yunus unlawfully settled all the 110 cases, filed against him by Grameen Telecom Union of Workers and Employees, with Tk 250 million.

Following the incident, law enforcement agencies arrested President Kamruzzaman and General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan of Grameen Telecom Workers-Employees Union.

Efforts are being put at home and abroad to make Dr Yunus the prime face as BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chief Tarique Rahman are unable to contest the polls due to their convictions in different cases.

Tarique, who is fugitive to London, has been sentenced imprisonment in the 21 August Grenade attack and 10-trruck arms cases.

Anti-Awami League platforms are carrying out hectic lobbying to make the Grameen Bank founder ‘the prime face’ due to its serious lack of leadership.

Sources said the anti-AL camp is riding on Dr Yunus as prominent lawyer Dr Kamal Hossain failed to bring any positive result in the 2018 general election.

On the other hand, Dr Yunus is considering the scope in a positive manner as he failed to forge a political party alone in the past.

Transforming his popularity into politics just after getting noble prize in 2006, Dr Yunus left no stone unturned to get state power during 1/11 political changeover to materialise his strong political ambition.

In an open letter issued by Dr Yunus in February 2007, he sought the support from the countrymen to launch a political party titled ‘Nagarik Shakti’ to reform the politics of Bangladesh, which, in his view, had been gobbled up violence and corruption.

Even the information leaked by Wikileaks confirmed then his burning desire to set foot on the political landscape. After not getting response from the countrymen, he, later, scrapped his plan.

But, now he agreed to ride on BNP as there is no alternative way to assume in power without Awami League and anti-Awami League platform.

Just few months before the 11th national election, the BNP and three other political parties formally launched an alliance called Jatiya Oikya Front.

The alliance was led by Dr Kamal where two other partners Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) led by ASM Abdur Rab and Nagorik Oikya led by Mahmudur Rahman Manna played a key role.

But, the Sheaf of Paddy, the BNP’s election symbol, was washed away by a storm of balloting that even the Awami League had not foreseen in the December 30 general election.

As the Oikya Front, a BNP-dominated opposition coalition, is practically inactive, so the BNP and its allies are searching a frontrunner who can help the platform overcome the next elections.

The Oikya Front is facing an existential challenge as some of its components are breaking away due to internal conflict in the parties.

While, BNP and its acting chief Tarique Rahman have no confidence in Oikya Front from its inactivity in the last two years.

Besides, Oikya Front has wrath over the ‘controversial’ role of Tarique as he traded nomination from London in the 11th parliamentary elections.