BNP workers demonstrated. (file photo)
Thousands of workers from a major Bangladeshi political party demonstrated in the country’s capital on Friday, demanding new elections and immediate reforms. Let us tell you that after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh in August, the country is under an interim government. The rally was organized by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. This party is pressuring the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to implement rapid reforms and hold upcoming elections.
In fact, Hasina and Zia are the main political rivals in the dynastic political structure. Zia is ill and could not lead the demonstration in person and her eldest son, Tariq Rehman, is her successor and has lived in exile since 2008. On Friday, BNP activists took to the streets of Dhaka and marched along major roads before reach the country’s National Parliament building.
The Yunus-led government has not announced any time limit for the upcoming elections. The BNP had initially demanded elections within three months. When Yunus demanded to seize power amid the massive student-led revolt on August 5, three days after Sheikh Hasina fled the country and arrived in India.
BNP leaders had previously said that the Yunus-led government should go ahead with elections rather than remain in power for a long time, but the party wanted to give the government enough time to implement some reforms. Rehman said via video conference from London that the caretaker government should not be allowed to fail under any circumstances. Because the government faces serious challenges to bring order to the country.
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party and its allies also face challenges in facing the new political scenario. Avoiding any direct reference to the upcoming elections, Rehman said the government should take effective measures to meet the expectations of the people. BNP leaders have recently indicated that the party will press ahead with plans to hold street protests within two to three months if the interim government does not prepare a roadmap for the next election.
Rehman asked his ardent followers to be cautious as he said allies of the previous Hasina government were still active. He said that in the government and administration at home and abroad there are still associates of the exiled dictators who are actively working to destabilize the interim government. This interim government must not be allowed to fail under any circumstances.
