A BNP delegation, including its Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Salahudin Ahmed, met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna yesterday evening (24 May).
During the meeting, they called for the swift completion of reforms initiated by the interim government and for holding the national election by December this year, among other things.
BNP also submitted a written statement to the chief adviser. The Business Standard obtained a copy of the letter signed by Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
Through a continuous struggle against undemocratic and barbaric fascism for nearly 16 years, Bangladesh was liberated from fascism through the bloody student mass uprising of July-August 2024. In accordance with the aspirations of the mass uprising and public expectations, the people of this country formed a non-partisan and neutral interim government under your leadership with the dream of building a strong democratic state based on equality, human dignity, non-discrimination, and social justice.
The fascist Awami misrule has fallen, and the student-people’s mass uprising has been victorious. However, how much of the public expectations or aspirations of the mass uprising have been fulfilled in the past nine and a half months is a huge question. Cracks have begun to appear in the national unity against fascism. Yet there is no alternative to maintaining this unity as the main driving force for building a strong democratic Bangladesh for the future. In the interest of this unity, the interim government should have maintained the position of maximum neutrality. It should have been conscious that no quarter’s agenda for political gain becomes part of the government’s work plan. We have repeatedly articulated this point before you. However, some recent activities of the government have created doubts in the public mind about the government’s neutrality.
Regarding the humanitarian corridor and Chattogtam port, the government’s various statements and activities should have been primarily considered whether national interests are being protected. Moreover, the people of this country do not believe that an interim temporary government has the jurisdiction to make such nationally important and long-term policy decisions
In the interest of maintaining the interim government’s neutrality, we believe that several controversial advisors whose statements and activities are damaging the government’s image should be removed. Considering the country’s security-related sensitive and nationally important matters as the highest priority, any decision on this matter should be taken only by a government elected by the people based on national consensus so that no unstable environment is created in the country.
The advisers of the interim government, who everyone knows and understands, are directly and indirectly involved with a new political party; their presence in the advisory council is continuously questioning the government’s non-partisan neutral identity, so they need to be relieved to protect the government’s image. The national security adviser has already become controversial and must be relieved to protect the government’s image.
Despite ongoing discussions in the process of creating a “Reform Charter” based on consensus among political parties, a party’s programme to besiege the Election Commission on the same issues and demanding local government elections embarrasses us and the government. Although the Election Commission was formed according to law through a search committee, a quarter wants the Election Commission to be reconstituted. Although the government did not take our opinion in all cases in the process of reconstituting constitutional institutions, it formed this commission by including all parties in forming the Election Commission. However, the Election Commission is being questioned unfairly and unreasonably for issuing a gazette notification according to the court’s verdict regarding the Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation. The people of the country gave their blood in a mass uprising to establish the rule of law, so we must remain firmly committed to establishing the rule of law. We hope the government will soon arrange for Ishraque Hossain to take oath as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation. The biased behaviour of the local government adviser is damaging the government’s image.
The constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission is to conduct National Parliament elections and Presidential elections. In such a reality, the issue of besieging the Election Commission demanding local government elections is purposeful and mysterious.
Carrying the aspirations of the July student mass uprising, the highest priority now is to establish an elected political government as soon as possible according to public aspirations to ensure people’s lost democratic rights, constitutional rights, and human rights, including voting rights. Therefore, we demand the immediate announcement of a specific roadmap for forming a national parliament by December 2025 through a fair, free, and neutral election. The people believe that giving this highest public aspiration the highest priority should be the primary agenda of the current interim government. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the BNP, as the people’s party, to continue cooperation with this government.
Recently, it has been observed that the culture of doing things under pressure rather than doing what the government should do according to public aspirations at the right time has already damaged the government’s capacity and dignity and has given others justification to demand through the same process. We believe the government is entirely responsible for this undesirable and embarrassing situation.
Since reform is an ongoing process, both reform and election processes can run simultaneously. The trial process of the fallen fascist forces, parties and individuals accused of crimes against humanity will continue.
It would be unfortunate if the issues we have mentioned in this letter are ignored like our previous proposals and suggestions, and it will inevitably discourage us from advising the government with the aim of cooperating.
In the interest of maintaining the country’s stability, preventing deterioration of the law and order situation, keeping daily necessities within people’s purchasing power, and bringing dynamism to investment and business trade, we all expect the government to run the state based on consensus.
