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Published : 19 Jun 2025, 03:19 AM
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has taken a veiled swipe at former ally Jamaat-e-Islami, suggesting the Islamist party’s recent frustration over the proposed February general election stems from fears of becoming politically irrelevant.
Speaking at a BNP event in Dhaka on Wednesday, the BNP secretary general said: “Some are upset because they know they’ll have no importance once an election takes place. Right now, in the absence of elections, they’re more relevant, but that won’t last.”
His comments come a day after Jamaat boycotted a meeting of the National Consensus Commission, following a joint declaration between BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
The statement, issued after their private meeting in London last week, proposed holding the general election in the second week of February 2026, just before the start of Ramadan.
While the BNP had previously demanded that polls be held by this December, Yunus had initially suggested April 2026. The February proposal marks a compromise, which Fakhrul hailed as "statesmanlike".
“Two leaders have shown true leadership by putting peace and national interest first. They’ve opened the door to a peaceful election,” he said.
In his words, some parties are unhappy because “they know elections will bring their downfall”.
Jamaat, however, strongly criticised the London declaration, claiming that Yunus compromised his neutrality by making the joint declaration with Tarique.
Its reaction was not limited to a statement, the party also boycotted Tuesday’s meeting of the National Consensus Commission. It alleged that the head of interim government’s decision to issue a joint declaration with a single party was “inappropriate".
National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nasiruddin Patwari also voiced concern, saying discussions about the general election being held abroad “drag the country backwards”.
Addressing party activists, Fakhrul asked: “Do we support the February election plan?” The crowd responded in unison, “Yes, we do!”
He called on attendees to applaud both Tarique and Yunus, which they did with sustained applause.
