'Engineer Tarique Rahman': Class 12 pass Bangladesh PM seen dressed in construction helmets and safety vests. The reason will shock you

Tarique Rahman, the newly elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has received a new moniker 'engineer' from the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance following Bangladesh Nationalist Party's landslide victory in the elections. Members from the National Citizens Party (NCP), born out of the anti-Sheikh Hasina agitation, and the Jamaat-e-Islami have started to call him "engineer". And this is not because of Tarique Rahman's educational qualifications as the opposition claims that Rahman has allegedly 'engineered' the election results.

The usage of the word 'engineer' started after NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwary called Tarique Rahman an "engineer" on Facebook, following which social media users picked it up quickly. On February 14th, Patwary wrote, "Congratulations! Engineer Tarique Rahman. Congratulations on your success in the 13th batch of National Election Engineering."

The post rapidly went viral, attracting hundreds of thousands of reactions and triggering a wave of memes, jokes, and AI-generated images showing Tarique Rahman dressed in construction helmets and safety vests.

'Engineer Tarique Rahman trolled'

Social media users have started trolling Tarique Rahman, with a Facebook user, Amir Hossain Robin, writing, "London theke engineer pass", a sarcastic dig at the prime minister, as he had been living in self-exile for 17 years. Another user Maksuda Akter, wrote, "The man who became an engineer without educational qualifications".

According to his election affidavit, Tarique Rahman’s formal education ended at the Higher Secondary Certificate level, equivalent to completing Class 12. Although he enrolled at the University of Dhaka to study law and later International Relations, he dropped out during his second year to pursure business aspirations.

Additionally, AI-generated images of Rahman in construction gear have been widely circulating online. One Facebook page shared an AI-created photo with the caption: “The man. The myth. The legend. The engineer.”

Opposition alleges election 'engineering'

Opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies, have alleged widespread manipulation in the vote counting process. NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain claimed there was “clear evidence of result tampering,” pointing to alleged irregularities in several constituencies. Jamaat leaders further accused authorities of altering results after polling concluded, submitting formal complaints to the Election Commission and warning of possible protests.

Tarique Rahman firmly denied accusations of rigging and dismissed the nickname’s premise. “Our engineering was to win the people over. Alhamdulillah, we have succeeded in that," he said at a post-election press conference.