BNP Accuses Jamaat of Secret Understanding with Awami League

PNN News Desk | Dhaka

The political distance between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami is widening as both parties increasingly accuse each other of maintaining secret understandings with the Awami League. Once regarded as longstanding political allies in the movement against the Awami League, the two parties are now exchanging allegations over alleged behind-the-scenes contacts with the former ruling party.

The BNP claims that Jamaat has maintained communication with the Awami League in an attempt to destabilise the government. Jamaat, on the other hand, says the ruling party is raising such allegations to divert public attention from pressing political issues.

Political analysis suggests that the growing tensions are not solely rooted in suspicions surrounding the Awami League. Fundamental disagreements between the two parties over the implementation of the July Charter and constitutional reforms are also contributing to the widening divide.

Amid opposition-led movements and a deadlock over the reform process in Parliament, questions are emerging over whether the allegations involving the Awami League are being used as a political strategy to exert pressure on rival parties.

The political relationship between the BNP and Jamaat has a long history. Following the 1991 general election, the BNP formed the government with Jamaat's support. Later, Jamaat became an important partner in the four-party alliance government formed in 2001. Even when the BNP was out of power, the two parties were frequently seen together in movements against the Awami League.

However, the political landscape has changed. The BNP is now in power, while Jamaat is in the opposition. This new political reality has brought their growing mistrust into the open.

Recently, at a public rally in Rajshahi, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman accused Jamaat of reaching an understanding with the Awami League. He claimed that, according to intelligence information, the Awami League was financing labour unrest in several industrial factories across the country.

He further alleged that a political party was attempting to create instability in the country with financial support from the Awami League.

Following the Prime Minister's remarks, other BNP leaders also began making similar allegations. Jamaat, however, has rejected the accusations.

Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad said the allegations of an understanding between Jamaat and the Awami League were not credible.

He argued that the Awami League had executed Jamaat's top leaders, kept the party's offices closed and obstructed its political activities. Given such a history, he said, the possibility of an understanding between the two parties was virtually nonexistent.

Instead, Azad accused the BNP of maintaining an understanding with the Awami League. He claimed that during the Awami League government's tenure, the BNP had been allowed to carry out political activities, while Jamaat had remained banned and faced restrictions for a long period.

BNP Acting Secretary General and Political Adviser to the Prime Minister Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said certain previous remarks by Jamaat leaders about forgiving the Awami League had created suspicion among the public.

He also claimed that the Awami League might be supporting Jamaat's ongoing anti-government movement.

According to Rizvi, Jamaat's attempts to remove the government from power quickly could create a situation with dangerous consequences for the country. However, the BNP has yet to publicly present specific evidence supporting these allegations.

Disagreements over the July Charter and constitutional reforms have also emerged as another major source of tension between the two parties.

The BNP alleges that Jamaat and its political allies have adopted positions on the reform process that are contributing to a deadlock within the government and Parliament. The ruling party fears that such a situation could create opportunities for the Awami League to return to active politics.

The current differences between the BNP and Jamaat largely centre on the implementation of the July Charter and the process of constitutional reform.

The 11-party alliance, led by Jamaat, is demanding the full implementation of the July Charter approved through the referendum, without any alterations. The BNP, however, supports excluding provisions to which it had raised objections or attached notes of dissent.

The two sides also differ over the nature of constitutional reform. Jamaat and its allies want fundamental changes or extensive restructuring of the Constitution, while the BNP prefers to introduce changes through constitutional amendments.

These differences have prevented the government from reaching an understanding with opposition parties over the process of constitutional amendments in Parliament. The opposition parties' decision to boycott parliamentary proceedings has further deepened the deadlock over the reform agenda.

The BNP fears that taking unilateral steps to amend the Constitution without reaching consensus with opposition parties could create a political and moral legitimacy crisis. For this reason, the government has been emphasising the need for an agreement.

However, with the opposition parties remaining firm in their positions, no such understanding has yet been reached.

According to Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the opposition's uncompromising position on constitutional issues could weaken democratic forces and create an opportunity for the defeated political forces to return to the political arena.

Responding to the BNP's allegations, Hamidur Rahman Azad said the government was attempting to divert public attention because of its failure to govern the country effectively.

He claimed that controversies surrounding the Awami League were being deliberately brought into the political debate to avoid addressing questions about the implementation of the July Charter and the referendum verdict.

Azad further alleged that the BNP government was failing to fulfil public expectations and was attempting to strengthen its political position by creating confusion and shifting attention away from its shortcomings.

He also said allegations had been raised regarding an understanding between the BNP and the Awami League. However, Jamaat has likewise not publicly presented specific evidence to substantiate its claims.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, the party's activities remain banned. Many of its senior leaders, including Sheikh Hasina, are currently staying outside the country.

When asked about the allegations being exchanged between the BNP and Jamaat, Awami League Joint General Secretary A.F.M. Bahauddin Nasim said the party was not working through any understanding with other political groups.

He also claimed that there was no ideological difference among the BNP, Jamaat and the National Citizen Party (NCP). Nasim maintained that the Awami League was not maintaining relations with any political party and was instead working for the people of Bangladesh.

Although the BNP has referred to intelligence information to support its allegations of an understanding between Jamaat and the Awami League, the information has not yet been publicly verified. Jamaat has rejected the allegations, while the Awami League maintains that it has no political understanding with any party.

Against this backdrop, questions are emerging in the political arena over whether the BNP is raising the Awami League issue to indirectly pressure Jamaat amid the failure to reach an agreement with opposition parties over the July Charter and constitutional reforms.

Another question is whether the allegations are actually based on the intelligence information cited by the government.

No definitive answers to these questions have emerged so far. However, the growing exchange of accusations involving the Awami League reflects the deepening political mistrust between the BNP and Jamaat.