Bangladesh Nationalist Party's frustration grows as interim government delays polls

New Delhi: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that played a key role in overthrowing PM Sheikh Hasina is now frustrated over the delay by the Md Yunus-led interim government in organising elections and has taken potshots at the student leaders and advisers to the regime.

The party feels the interim regime has hijacked the political process in Bangladesh and denied the party a chance to return to power.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir this week indirectly chided the students by mentioning that student leaders alone were not powerful enough to bring down the government. He also pulled up one of the advisers to the government for his comments on political parties in Bangladesh and demanded that such a statement be withdrawn.


On Saturday Alamgir expressed the party's vision of building Bangladesh into a truly democratic, modern, and non-discriminatory state, seizing what he described as new opportunities created by overcoming fascist forces.

"Today (Saturday) is Martyred Intellectuals Day. On this day in 1971, on the eve of victory, the Pakistani occupation forces targeted and killed Bangladesh's brightest minds, including journalists, intellectuals, professors, scientists, and members of civil society. That was one of the gravest losses in our nation's history," Fakhrul said.

He emphasized the importance of free elections. "We are hopeful that a free, fair, and impartial election will be held soon, allowing the people to choose their representatives. An interim government has been established, and we remain committed to cooperating to ensure the people's voices are heard through a credible democratic process."

These remarks were incidentally made days after the White House pulled up the Yunus government for instability in Dhaka and treatment of minorities.