Jamaat opts out of movement with BNP

A conflict between the major opposition BNP and its friendly party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has surfaced again as the Islamist party remains away from simultaneous movement.

Unhappy with the BNP, its immediate past ally of 20-party alliance Jamaat-e-Islami has taken a decision that the party will now carry on their movement programmes independently, the party insiders said.

“Our party men are a little bit unhappy with the BNP as the party didn’t protest against arrest of our party leaders and attack on our party men during our recent programmes,” Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Maulana Abdul Halim told the Daily Sun.

After dissolving the 20-party alliance, BNP and Jamaat declared that they would carry on simultaneous movement against the government to realise their 10-point demand, including resignation of the incumbent Awami League government and next parliamentary polls under a caretaker government.

Both the parties held demonstration programmes simultaneously on December 24 and December 30, and last brought out mass processions in the capital and other divisional cities on January 5 to press home their demands.

Jamaat men were locked in a clash with the law enforcers when they brought out a mass procession in the capital on January 5 to realise their 10-point demands simultaneously with the BNP. The clash left many people injured while some of their party leaders and activists were arrested.

After the incident, BNP neither protested what the Jamaat alleged attack on them and arrest of their party men in formal programme nor issued any statement in this regard that has made the party seriously unhappy, Jamaat sources said.

“BNP has been making mockery with us. They tell us to go for simultaneous movement but they do not stand by our party. Even they do not protest against attack and arrest of our party men,” a central leader of Jamaat told the Daily Sun wishing not to be named. He lamented that BNP leaders have been behaving like step mother with Jamaat for a long time, but BNP wants to use Jamaat’s man force in the ongoing movement.

“This is very unfortunate that they tell about carrying out movement simultaneously but their behaviour is totally different. Why our party issue statement protesting arrest of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. In this situation, we can’t continue the movement simultaneously with the BNP,” the Jamaat leader added.

BNP and its like-minded political parties held mass sit-in programmes in divisional cities across the country on January 11 simultaneously to realise their 10 point demands.

But Jamaat did not hold the same programme simultaneously with the BNP. Rather, the Islamist party observed the January 5 as ‘democracy killing’ day and held a discussion and brought out a procession to mark the day.

Except in the sit-in of BNP, the presence of leaders and activists of other parties’ in the same programme was very poor. After this incident, the BNP-Jamaat new rift comes to the light that made the BNP central command worried about the future of their movement.  

BNP has announced protest rallies and processions in metropolitan cities and upazila headquarters across the country, including in Dhaka city, for January 16 demanding reduction of electricity price. 

The Jamaat leaders and activists on Saturday brought out a protest procession and held a rally separately, demanding reduction of electricity price.

Jamaat insiders said if the BNP does not look into the matter of improving the relations, then they will go on alone without the BNP.

Even, the Islamist party may also contest the upcoming election under the party in power, the sources added.

The Jamaat sources said they are taking preparations for the next national polls. Their candidates will contest as independent candidates.

Meanwhile, in a latest development, BNP senior leaders are worried about the future of the ongoing movement if Jamaat finally does not carry on the simultaneous movement.

The BNP standing committee in its meeting on Thursday night discussed the issue while party acting chairman Tarique Rahman gave responsibility to BNP leaders to talk to the Jamaat high command and resolve the problem, the BNP sources said.  

Source: Daily Sun