One hundred days after the 13th National Parliament election swept the Bangladesh Nationalist Party into power, Bangladesh’s two main opposition forces -- Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party -- are struggling to define themselves between cooperation and confrontation, offering what analysts describe as a “soft opposition” despite rising criticism over law and order, political appointments and governance failures.
Although both parties entered parliament pledging constructive but uncompromising opposition politics, their first 100 days have largely been marked by limited parliamentary protests, scattered walkouts and increasingly sharp public criticism of the government rather than sustained political confrontation.
Immediately after BNP’s landslide victory, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman paid courtesy visits to Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman and NCP Convener Nahid Islam, signaling an attempt to maintain political understanding among anti-Awami League forces.
At the time, Jamaat publicly promised cooperation on national interest issues while warning it would remain “uncompromising” in fulfilling constitutional opposition duties.
But tensions surfaced quickly after parliament convened.
Since the beginning of the first parliamentary session, Jamaat and NCP lawmakers have repeatedly criticized government decisions inside and outside parliament, staged three walkouts and issued statements condemning killings, rape incidents, mob violence and worsening law and order.
Both parties have also accused the government of politicizing appointments in city corporations, district councils and universities.
Jamaat leader and Dhaka-12 MP Saiful Alam Khan Milon said the government’s biggest failure was rejecting demands for a referendum despite earlier political commitments.
He alleged the administration had ignored the “July Charter,” dismantled key institutions and allowed extortion and lawlessness to spread nationwide.
“The government has only appointed its own people,” he said, criticizing what he described as partisan recruitment from local administration to university vice-chancellorships.
He also warned Jamaat could launch street movements demanding implementation of referendum decisions.
The NCP, meanwhile, claims it has already emerged as the strongest parliamentary opposition voice despite being a new political force.
NCP Senior Joint Chief Coordinator and Noakhali-6 MP Abdul Hannan Masud said the party had opposed every “wrong decision” taken by the government and exposed irregularities before the public.
He accused the BNP government of betraying public expectations after returning to power and failing to control the economy, extortion, and tender manipulation.
“We are doing everything required of an opposition party,” he said.
Despite the criticism, political analysts say neither Jamaat nor NCP currently appears interested in escalating tensions into a full-scale anti-government movement.
Instead, both parties seem focused on balancing parliamentary pressure with broader political cooperation during what many view as a fragile transitional political phase.
Badiul Alam Majumdar, executive director of Shujan, said the opposition’s role so far has remained cautious and relatively restrained.
“So far, it appears the opposition is trying to avoid serious confrontation with the government,” he said.
“I think it is important for both the government and the opposition to work together to overcome the ongoing crisis.”
He added that parliamentary success depends not on confrontational speeches alone but on whether both sides can cooperate in addressing national challenges.
Still, analysts say the coming months may prove far more difficult as economic pressures, governance controversies and public dissatisfaction continue growing -- testing whether the country’s opposition parties remain cautious watchdogs or evolve into more aggressive challengers to the BNP government.
