The political arena of Bangladesh has heated up again following discourses centring on the US ban on former army chief Aziz Ahmed and allegations of corruption against former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have been attacking each other with questions and counter-questions since the start of June.
On Sunday, Mirza Fakhrul said at an event of the National Press Club: "The young generation of today does not study. I do not support the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami. But the strategy of their politics is very scientific.They are just like the Communist Party. They have study cells in Chhatra Shibir. Every one of them has to study. They publish books and magazines themselves. Anyone cannot be successful without the practice of knowledge.”
Obaidul Quader made a counter-statement in this regard on Monday after this speech.
Protesting Fakhrul’s speech, he commented: "BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's statement about the anti-independence force Jamaat-e-Islami has once again proved that, wherever they are, BNP has deep ties with the anti-independence Jamaat and communal evil forces."
Mentioning that Jamaat’s politics have been proven to be anti-state, Quader said: “The statement of Mirza Fakhrul over Jamaat is clearly contradictory and illogical. The politics of Jamaat is contradictory to the main spirit of Bangladesh, the ideology of the Liberation War and values of independence.”
Those whose politics hit at the very foundations of the country, their strategies can never be scientific or logical, said Quader.
After Obaidul Quader's statement, Mirza Fakhrul gave a speech in Chittagong on Tuesday but did not speak about this issue.
Jamaat protests Quader’s statement
Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar protested Obaidul Quader's statement on Tuesday.
He termed Quader’s statement as revengeful, unreasonable, and discourteous.
Parwar also said: “Obaidul Quader's false statement about Jamaat-e-Islami terming it an anti-liberation and communal force is untrue and politically motivated."
In the statement, Jamaat secretary said that BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have political relations as fellow political parties of Bangladesh's democratic movement.
He said: “From the anti-dictatorship movement in 1983 till 2024, Jamaat has played a strong role in the movement to establish democracy in Bangladesh. Obaidul Quader should recall that the country's people spontaneously followed the program announced by the 15-party alliance, 7-party alliance and Jamaat-e-Islami in the anti-dictatorship movement. At that time, Awami League and BNP protested on the same issue.”
Jamaat-Awami League connection
The issue of the joint movement, discussions, and meetings between Jamaat and the Awami League has been raised several times by the top level of the BNP.
On April 9, 2017, at an event in Gulshan, Dhaka, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia highlighted the historical relationship between the Awami League and Jamaat by referencing their participation in the first national parliamentary election in 1986 during Ershad's regime.
She pointed out that while the BNP did not participate in that election, the Awami League did so in collaboration with Jamaat-e-Islami. According to her, the Awami League could not find other partners and decided to go to the polls with Jamaat to avoid looking isolated.
Additionally, in an interview with the Times of India published on October 24, 2014, by bdnews24.com, Khaleda Zia stated that the "Jamaat-Awami League relationship is historic."
She asserted that the ruling Awami League has a “long history of close relations” with Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed the liberation war, and other “extremist religious organizations.”
Khaleda Zia further commented on the BNP's alliance with Jamaat, describing it as merely an electoral compromise with no ideological link. She emphasized that the BNP would always adhere to its own principles.
BNP-Jamaat alliance
Jamaat's association with BNP began in 1991 when the government was formed. At that time, Khaleda Zia formed the government with the support of Jamaat. After a few years, BNP formed an alliance with the party. In 2001, the four-party alliance government won, but the government was formed only by BNP and Jamaat. Since then, BNP-Jamaat has been framed together politically.
Before the 11th national elections in 2018, the BNP ended its alliance with the Jamaat by disbanding the 20-party alliance following the formation of the Jatiya Oikya Front.
However, before the 12th national parliamentary elections, Jamaat joined the simultaneous movement to oust the government. After the elections, the top leaders of Jamaat and BNP have been in contact several times.
Debate over Jamaat inside BNP
For the past several years, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and vice chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu have raised numerous issues regarding Jamaat-e-Islami.
Since the dissolution of the 20-party alliance in 2018, tensions between the BNP and Jamaat have escalated. Jamaat-e-Islami has particularly protested statements made by Mirza Fakhrul Islam and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.
On September 26, 2022, BNP Standing Committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku questioned whether the Awami League was in an "extramarital affair" with Jamaat-e-Islami.
The following day, Jamaat-e-Islami condemned Tuku’s remark, describing it as indecent and politically impolite. Their statement emphasized that such language is unbecoming of a politician and has disappointed the nation.
On June 30, 2023, during Eid, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul stated in Thakurgaon that despite verbal opposition, the government now had clear communication with Jamaat-e-Islami.
The day after Fakhrul's speech, on July 1, Jamaat’s acting secretary general, Maulana ATM Masum, refuted this claim, stating: "Jamaat-e-Islami never does politics by conniving or communicating with fascists, dictators, and tyrants. There is no question of doing it.”
Later, Mirza Fakhrul told Bangla Tribune that his statement had been misunderstood and misquoted in the media.
Towards the end of last year, the conflict between BNP and Jamaat leaders took a new turn. BNP issued a statement to reassure Jamaat, distancing itself from remarks made by its own leaders.
In an interview with the Indian English daily "The Hindu" on November 7, 2023, BNP leader Tuku argued that the BNP is a secular political party, staunchly opposing the political use of Islam and identifying itself as a liberal democratic entity.
"We once had an alliance with Jamaat, akin to political alliances in democratic countries like India. However, that is now a thing of the past. The crucial question here is directed at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: Why has Jamaat not been banned?” Mahmud Tuku said during the interview.
Under political pressure, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi issued a statement following instructions from Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the party. Rizvi clarified that Tuku's statements and opinions about Jamaat-e-Islami were entirely his own and did not represent the party's stance.