BNP wooing Jamaat-e-Islami for alliance in Bangladesh polls in February

The main political party is worried at any understanding of JEI with rival NCP

By Ashis Biswas

KOLKATA: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) the strongest political party in Bangladesh that had fought a running battle against the ruling Awami League (AL)-run Governments for over a decade, has appealed to the Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) to contest the coming elections in February next year.

Mr Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Vice Chairman of the BNP urged upon the JEI to contest the 2026 elections, which many observers see as the most important polls ever to be held in Bangladesh. The JEI, which actively opposed the freedom struggle for Bangladesh by siding openly with the ruling Pakistani regime, has remained a somewhat controversial group ever since.

It had been accommodated by the BNP earlier on one occasion when it (BNP) had won power, defeating the AL in a general election. On that occasion, the BNP had won a comfortable majority on its own, but it had sought to isolate the AL further. At one level, the BNP and the JEI had a common interest in defeating the AL in the struggle for power in the new country called Bangladesh.

Both the BNP and the JEI had consistently pursued a strong pro-Islamist line politically. Both were known .for their general antipathy against the Hindu minority. The two parties had opposed the Hindus for different reasons.

The BNP wanted to weaken and fight off the AL which had emerged as the most powerful and popular party largely because of the dynamic role played by its leader the late Mujibur Rahman. He had been regarded as the founder of Bangladesh during 1971-72. But on August 15 1975, he was brutally killed with 13 members of his family by a group of army officers who carried out a successful coup.

Ironically, among senior army officers, Ziaur Rahman had played an active role in the planned assassination of Mujibur. He took over as the country’s ruler and then set up a new political party, the BNP.

In some ways the BNP is a more complex entity than other parties. Most senior officers in the Bangladesh army were initially pro-Pakistan in their outlook and orientation, Ziaur Rahman included. They kept plotting against Mujibur, an impulsive and emotional leader, and were determined to oust him and his AL party from power.

However, after Ziaur’s takeover and his formation of the BNP, many officers known for their support for the AL and personal loyalty to Mujibur, switched sides and joined the BNP..

Ziaur also took care to express his public support and enthusiasm for Bangladesh. But in practice, he adopted a pro-Pakistan, pro-US and anti-Indian approach, and strongly suppressed the AL.

As for JEI, it had actively supported the cause of Pakistan, even helping the Pak army in their ruthless campaign to kill all Bengali-speaking intellectuals, and Hindus in general. It had reacted along religious lines, alleging that the AL was pursuing an anti-Islamic policy by breaking up Pakistan with the help of its arch enemy, India.

There was no doubt however, that the comparatively more secular approach followed by the AL, showing more toleration for the minorities and open friendliness for India, helped the AL beat the BNP handily and regularly in elections held during the initial years after Bangladesh’s freedom after Pakistan’s defeat in December 1971. Even though the BNP sought to ease the JEI’s entry into the arena of electoral politics, the latter could win only 17% of the popular votes in the polls, far, far behind the AL or the BNP!

Mr Dudu has kept in mind this aspect of the JEI’s controversial past. He has urged upon the JEI to express first of all, a humble apology to the people for its notorious anti-freedom role and then begin its efforts to rejoin the political process. He reminded JEI leaders at a cultural function organised by likeminded parties and sympathisers, that the BNP had borne some losses in its bid to reintroduce the JEI politically in the past. Therefore, the least that the JEI could do in return was to accept the BNP’s friendly advice an end its own relative isolation in Bangladeshi politics.

Observers however said that the BNP also had some self interest in making its suggestions to the JEI. The BNP, which is now badly riddled with factionalism, would certainly ,face a strong challenge in the coming polls from the newly set up party of radical youths who had spearheaded the battle to oust the AL from power — the National Citizens Party(NCP). With a strong base among students and youths, the NCP has already won some support among the militant sections of Islamist youths in many districts.

For the BNP it was important to ensure that the NCP and the JEI did not set up a coalition to challenge its authority now or the near future.. Worse, there were frequent clashes between the followers of the JEI and the BNP. in some areas. . Dhaka-based press reports said that even as Mr Dudu made his generous appeal to the JEI, news came in of 15 people being injured in a clash between the supporters of both groups! (IPA Service)