Leaving 11-party alliance proved dangerous for Islami Andolan: Mamunul Haque

Leaving the 11-party alliance ahead of the election was a dangerous decision for Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis (BKM) Ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque has said.

He made the remarks in a recent exclusive interview with Asia Post.

Asked whether Islami Andolan or the 11-party alliance suffered more from the former’s decision to leave the alliance, Mamunul Haque said Islami Andolan’s departure had naturally dealt a setback to the Islamist cause and created a negative sentiment among the general people.

“I believe that Islami Andolan suffered a greater loss in terms of votes because it separated from the alliance at the last moment. Compared with previous elections, they received fewer votes this time. It was a major blow to their party. Leaving the alliance was a dangerous decision for them,” he said.

He said a mindset had already developed among general voters, even before Islami Andolan left the 11-party alliance, that the election would essentially be a two-way contest.

“Even we had anticipated that the vote would be divided into two blocs. One would be BNP and the other would be an alternative bloc. Since the election was going to be a two-way contest, I had to remain in either of those two blocs in electoral politics. Only then could I uphold the aspirations of my voters,” he said.

Explaining the rationale behind remaining in the 11-party alliance, the BKM chief said there were significant differences between his party’s vision for implementing the aspirations of the July Revolution and that of the BNP.

“There are significant differences with BNP on fundamental issues, and BNP holds views that are completely different from ours on those matters. Therefore, if I had formed an alliance with BNP, I would have had to move away from almost every fundamental position of my party centred on the July Revolution. I did not consider that right from an ideological standpoint,” he said.

“Secondly, from the perspective of the party and electoral interests, we felt that remaining in the 11-party alliance outside BNP would be more advantageous for us,” he added.

Mamunul Haque also said that although forming an alliance with BNP could have served his personal interests more, he chose to prioritise the interests of the country, Islam and his party.

“I considered it right to give priority to the interests of the country, Islam and the party over my personal interests,” he said.