Ehsanul Haque Jasim :The BNP-led 20-party alliance will take time to decide its next course of action, as the alliance will go for the fresh movement after making an in-depth analysis and assessment of April 28 city polls. Sources said, the BNP wants to reduce distance with Jamaat-e-Islami and other partners in a bid to wage an effective anti-government movement.The party standing committee member Lt General Mahbubur Rahman said that his party would take some time to launch next anti-government movement programme for making analysis and assessment of the city polls. Meanwhile, alongside other partners of the 20-party alliance, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are also maintaining silent distance from each other. BNP is under pressure of different quarters to cut relations with its key ally, while Jamaat itself is also annoyed with BNP for its role, insiders said. Admitting distance between alliance partners and BNP, Chairman of Islami Oikya Jote Maulana Abdul Latif Nejami on Thursday evening told The New Nation, “Relation between the BNP and other alliance partners has been facing a little stress, especially after the city polls. It will take some time to improve the relation.”Sources said that a number of BNP’s senior leaders, including some standing committee members, were against the relation with Jamaat-e-Islami. For this, the BNP took part in the recently held city polls and backed candidates without discussions with any partner. Alongside Jamaat, other partners of the 20-party alliance are also unhappy with the BNP for fielding party-backed candidates without consulting with them. In this situation, a silent gap has been created between the BNP and its allies centering the city polls.The BNP is also facing pressure from the international community to severe relations with Jamaat-e-Islami. A European Union (EU) Parliamentary delegation, which visited Dhaka last February, had reiterated their call to the BNP to cut ties with Jamaat-e-Islami. “Such pressure also came from some other forums silently,” said a BNP leader. A reliable source said, Jamaat is not happy with the BNP since the execution of its leader Abdul Quader Mollah, as BNP did not give any reaction. Jamaat was gradually distancing itself from the BNP since that time. “Jamaat lost many of its leaders and workers in the anti-government movement. If the BNP fails to appreciate the sacrifice, Jamaat will take its next decisions keeping the matter in mind,” said a Jamaat leader. A reliable source said, BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia thinks that her party is not able to wage tougher movement without the alliance partners, as her party’s organisational strength is now weak. The BNP chief is also annoyed with her party leaders for their inactive role on the streets, even after attacks on her motorcade during the campaign of city polls. In this backdrop, she doesn’t want to break up relation with Jamaat at the present. A BNP leader said that although the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami are maintaining silent distance, the BNP now wants to make warm relation with all the alliance partners for waging an effective street movement.Khaleda Zia did not call any meeting of the 20-party alliance in the last several months. Even after the city polls, she has not called any meeting till now due to silent distance with the Jamaat-e-Islami and other partners. She is now trying to call meeting of the alliance, insiders said.
