Who backs Awami League: BNP-Jamaat trade blame

Supporters of the Activity-banned fallen Awami League has suddenly started desperate activities including flash procession, cocktail explosion and arson attacks on vehicles, while the ruling party-BNP and the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami began blame game over backing the ousted party (AL).

The people are puzzled over the issue that originally who empowered the AL, while the political analysts warned that creating space for the activity-banned party may pave them way of creating anarchies in the country.

Activity-banned fallen Awami League men engaged in flash processions in different part of the country including Dhaka in recent times.

Incidents of several arson attacks on vehicles including public buses also occurred in different places.

In these circumstances, ruling party the BNP and opposition Jamaat-e-Islami blamed each other for ‘empowering’ Awami League to dare such activities.

As per reports, AL men organized several flash procession across the country including the capital in the recent days.

Among those AL supporters organized a noticeable sudden procession in Gulshan on 11 September (Friday) in Gulshan area.

Around 150 to 200 AL activists gathered near Police Plaza and an alley adjacent to KFC on Gulshan Road No. 3.

They chanted ‘Joy Bangla’ slogans and exploded several crude bombs during the Jumma prayers.

Law enforcement agencies fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd and recovered unexploded crude bombs from the scene.

Police arrested 179 men suspected on involving the procession.

Apart from these, the AL men tried to organise another flash processions in the capital’s Gulistan area on Saturday (19 September) in the morning which police foiled.

Several AL supporters gathered in front of Gate No. 1 of the national stadium in Gulistan area. Participants marched for a few seconds before police dispersing them.

Besides, Crude bomb explosions and arson attacks: Several crude bomb explosions and arson attacks were occurred from 18 to 20 September in multiple areas in the capital city including Jatrabari, Kamlapur Railway Station, Malibagh and, Mohakhali.

People witnessed sporadic crude bomb-cokctail explosions and vehicle including bus arsons in Keranigonj, Badda and Mirpur areas.

Police and other law enforcing agencies have blamed sudden underground activities by the banned organization and its wings.

The law enforcers have heightened security alert levels across Dhaka.

Some leaders from the ruling party-BNP blamed the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami for empowering the fallen Awami League, since it’s 11 September flash procession in Gulshan.

Prime Minister’s Political Assistant Rashed Khan on Monday (21 September) said, “Jamaat’s ‘old love’ towards the Awami League seemed to be awaked again.”

He said it in his facebook page. Rashed Khan said also, “It was supposed to prevent the fascist AL together, as a combined force of BNP and Jamaat so that they were anti-fascist role earlier. But, the Jamaat seemed are now become silent over AL’s misdeeds in home and abroad-specially trying to create anarchy in New York during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit.

Apart from these, on 12 September, Rashed Khan blamed the Jamaat-e-Islami for empowering the ‘fascist’ Awami League to stage procession on the street.

While talking to media, the political assistant said the Awami League gained the courage due to ‘secret understanding’ with the Jamaat.

When contacted, BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday (22 September) told Asia Post, “Some irresponsible activities of the current opposition party (Jamaat) inspiring the fallen fascist Awami League.”

“The opposition party thinks they might be benefitted to fish in troubled water, but they must be sufferer if the fascism raises further,” Rizvi warned.

Meanwhile, several leaders of the ruling party-BNP said they have not give importance on AL’s current activities.

Contacted, BNP Vice-Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan MP told Asia Post, “The fallen fascist party AL’s flash procession and such other activities are totally less of importance. The people are not taking it as a countable matter.”

He said, there are about 20 crore of people in the country, then, 100 to 200 men’s flash procession does not a matter.

On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami blamed the BNP-led government for empowering AL to take to streets.

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar on 12 September said that the BNP government must behind the AL’s sudden flash procession.

In an event in the capital’s Engineers Institution, Professor Golam Parwar said, “It is impossible to organize such an activity without the government’s support. They have home minister, law enforcer agencies, several intelligence agencies. Then how could an activity-banned fascist party organized such an procession in the capital and elsewhere?”

He said, it proved that any part of the government has signaled the AL to take to the streets.

When contacted, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami spokesperson and the party's Joint-Secretary General Advocate Ahsanul Mahbub Zubair told Asia Post, “Accusing our party of empowering the fallen fascist is totally baseless and irresponsible remarks.”

He said, “The Jamaat was in the street movement among the other political parties like the BNP to oust the fascist Awami League through a bloodshed. Then how they (BNP) now bring such false allegation? We, the 11-party alliance is now in the street to press home the people’s demand of implementing their verdict of the referendum.”

The Jamaat spokesperson accused the ruling party has taken strategy of diverting the people from the real matter of the opposition parties demands.

“We are in struggle to implement the verdict of the 70 percent people of the country- the referendum result. And the countrymen witness that our movement is 100percent peaceful. So, the people would not accept ruling party’s baseless allegation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the other opposition party- the National Citizen Party (NCP) organized rally in the capital following the AL’s flash procession to protest the government’s failure of preventing it.

The NCP leaders and workers chanted slogans in the rally saying “Fallen fascist organizes procession, what Tarique Rahman does?”.

Which the political analysts say

While the ruling and opposition parties involved in blame game over the Awami League’s recent activities the political analysts have expressed anxiety saying there are grave failure of the law-enforcer agencies.

They said the fallen fascist party’s destructive activities should not let to go.

When contacted, eminent political analyst, Dhaka University’s former Vice-Chancellor Professor Anwarullah Chowdhury told Asia Post, “It is a grave concern that the activity-banned fallen fascists are now involved in destructive activities including arson attacks on public transports.”

He said, keeping aside political blaming game the ruling and opposition parties have to cement strong unity keeping the people together to foil all anti-state activities of the fascist Awami League.

In the same time the law-enforcement agencies, the intelligent agencies have to be more alert and their actions must have to bring under accountability, he said.

The professor also said, “I’m afraid that the countrywide killing spree and such other heinous activities to create social instability might be created in a pre-planned way and the fallen force might be behind these.”

When contacted, Professor Dr. SM Ali Reza, of Dhaka University told Asia Post, “Involving blame game of opposition and the ruling party is nothing new in the country. But it never will bring out solutions.”

He said, the failure of the law-enforcement agencies in this issue might push the country to a dire situation.

When contacted, Professor Dr. Asif Mizan, Vice-Chancellor, Daaru Salaam University, Somalia and Political Scientist, told Asia Post, “Multi-party democracy is established in Bangladesh by the constitution. But, bitter difference between political parties may make it weaker.”

The vice-chancellor said, while the ruling and opposition party locked into conflicts, the fascists may enter through the gap between the responsible political forces.

He asked all parties to be more responsible and respect each other to make the country’s democracy stronger.