S. M. Mizanur Rahman :
Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) ties with the Jamaat -e-Islami, a key component of the 20-party alliance, would remain intact as its chairperson Khaleda Zia wants so, according to party insiders.
Different political parties, including ruling Awami League (AL) and Jatiya Party, repeatedly urged the BNP to cut ties with Jamaat as its activists unleashed rein of terror throughout the country during the alliance’s anti-government movement in 2014 and 2015.
Besides, some pro-BNP intellectuals also put pressure on Khaleda Zia to sever ties with Jamaat. Apart from them, many leaders and supporters of the BNP found the presence of Jamaat in the alliance embarrassing and requested their party chief Khaleda Zia to cut relations with Jamaat.
But the BNP chairperson considers Jamaat as the politics of votes and wants an electoral coalition with it. Country’s all Islamist parties have their vote banks in over 100 constituencies, they said, adding BNP’s victory in the general polls depends them.
On Wednesday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir rejected outright Emajuddin Ahmed’s statement over Jamaat issue, terming it as his personal opinion.
“It is his (Emajuddin’s) personal remarks about Jamaat. I gave a rejoinder in this regard on Tuesday to clarify our party’s stand about Jamaat. Emajuddin Ahmed is only a well-wisher of BNP and nothing,’ he told journalists in a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan Central office yesterday.
At a discussion on Tuesday on Tuesday former Dhaka University vice-chancellor and pro-BNP intellectual professor Emajuddin Ahmed said there would be no objection for the BNP to forge national unity keeping Jamaat on its side if the Islamist party offers apology to the nation for its role during the Liberation War.
He also said, Begum Khaleda Zia herself decided there was no need for keeping that party (Jamaat) in the national unity. It (Jamaat) has now become a liability.”
The BNP secretary general said their party chairperson Khaleda Zia called for forging a national unity to fight against militancy as per her national duty.
“BNP is holding discussions with other like-minded political parties in order to reach a consensus to forge a national unity. We are now working on it,” Mirza Fakhrul said.
He came up with the remarks a day after Emajuddin Ahmed, also an adviser to the party, on Tuesday called on all the political parties to form a national unity without Jamaat-e-Islami.
“As part of the conspiracy, the government is now engaged in implementing its blueprint to eliminate the BNP in a planned way since it came to the power in 2008,” he said.
“As a part of that, the BNP chairperson was evicted from her cantonment house and the latest example is Moudud Ahmed,” he said.
Meanwhile, adviser to BNP chairperson Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday accused the government of using Jamaat and militancy issues as capital in order to cling to power for long.
“I would say the government to refrain from playing such game using Jamaat issue as capital. If you (government) continue to play the game, you will have to pay for it,” he said while addressing at a function at the National Press Club yesterday.
In mid-July, a group of intellectuals and professionals asked the BNP chairperson to leave Jamaat or give it a condition to apologise to the nation for the misdeeds the party and its members committed in 1971. They said that it was necessary for forging a national unity with all parties to tackle militancy.
Besides, the BNP thinks the government might try to get Jamaat on its side if it parts with Jamaat, and this would weaken the opposition further.
The issue of severing ties with Jamaat surfaced after the BNP-led 20-party alliance at a recent meeting decided to hold an anti-militancy national convention in the capital, keeping Jamaat a part of it.
Following the statement, the Jamaat leader said Emajudidn Ahmed has no authority to speak on behalf of the 20-party alliance since he was not appointed as the spokesperson of the alliance.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) ties with the Jamaat -e-Islami, a key component of the 20-party alliance, would remain intact as its chairperson Khaleda Zia wants so, according to party insiders.
Different political parties, including ruling Awami League (AL) and Jatiya Party, repeatedly urged the BNP to cut ties with Jamaat as its activists unleashed rein of terror throughout the country during the alliance’s anti-government movement in 2014 and 2015.
Besides, some pro-BNP intellectuals also put pressure on Khaleda Zia to sever ties with Jamaat. Apart from them, many leaders and supporters of the BNP found the presence of Jamaat in the alliance embarrassing and requested their party chief Khaleda Zia to cut relations with Jamaat.
But the BNP chairperson considers Jamaat as the politics of votes and wants an electoral coalition with it. Country’s all Islamist parties have their vote banks in over 100 constituencies, they said, adding BNP’s victory in the general polls depends them.
On Wednesday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir rejected outright Emajuddin Ahmed’s statement over Jamaat issue, terming it as his personal opinion.
“It is his (Emajuddin’s) personal remarks about Jamaat. I gave a rejoinder in this regard on Tuesday to clarify our party’s stand about Jamaat. Emajuddin Ahmed is only a well-wisher of BNP and nothing,’ he told journalists in a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan Central office yesterday.
At a discussion on Tuesday on Tuesday former Dhaka University vice-chancellor and pro-BNP intellectual professor Emajuddin Ahmed said there would be no objection for the BNP to forge national unity keeping Jamaat on its side if the Islamist party offers apology to the nation for its role during the Liberation War.
He also said, Begum Khaleda Zia herself decided there was no need for keeping that party (Jamaat) in the national unity. It (Jamaat) has now become a liability.”
The BNP secretary general said their party chairperson Khaleda Zia called for forging a national unity to fight against militancy as per her national duty.
“BNP is holding discussions with other like-minded political parties in order to reach a consensus to forge a national unity. We are now working on it,” Mirza Fakhrul said.
He came up with the remarks a day after Emajuddin Ahmed, also an adviser to the party, on Tuesday called on all the political parties to form a national unity without Jamaat-e-Islami.
“As part of the conspiracy, the government is now engaged in implementing its blueprint to eliminate the BNP in a planned way since it came to the power in 2008,” he said.
“As a part of that, the BNP chairperson was evicted from her cantonment house and the latest example is Moudud Ahmed,” he said.
Meanwhile, adviser to BNP chairperson Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday accused the government of using Jamaat and militancy issues as capital in order to cling to power for long.
“I would say the government to refrain from playing such game using Jamaat issue as capital. If you (government) continue to play the game, you will have to pay for it,” he said while addressing at a function at the National Press Club yesterday.
In mid-July, a group of intellectuals and professionals asked the BNP chairperson to leave Jamaat or give it a condition to apologise to the nation for the misdeeds the party and its members committed in 1971. They said that it was necessary for forging a national unity with all parties to tackle militancy.
Besides, the BNP thinks the government might try to get Jamaat on its side if it parts with Jamaat, and this would weaken the opposition further.
The issue of severing ties with Jamaat surfaced after the BNP-led 20-party alliance at a recent meeting decided to hold an anti-militancy national convention in the capital, keeping Jamaat a part of it.
Following the statement, the Jamaat leader said Emajudidn Ahmed has no authority to speak on behalf of the 20-party alliance since he was not appointed as the spokesperson of the alliance.
