A hot topic these days is elections. Many parties have been formed keeping this in mind. Some want elections, some don't. Some want them earlier, some want them slowly. Those who see a high chance of winning are always saying that elections should be held soon. Those who have little chance of winning are even more vocal. There is a lot of talk and bickering about this.
The political market is quite hot in one piece of news. The youth of the anti-discrimination movement are forming a new party. Some old parties are shaking their heads over this. It seems they are not taking the matter well. The line from a popular Hindi movie song came to mind - Mere Angane Mein Tumhara Kya Kam Hai?
The interim government that is now in power has come from the student movement. There are three of them in the government's advisory council. Naturally, the question arises, will there be a conflict of interest here? BNP did not take this attempt (?) to form a party well. They do not consider the government neutral. They said that if this is the case, they will demand elections under a neutral caretaker government.
There are two faces of political parties in this country. When in government, they say one thing. When out of government, they say another. This has been happening since the birth of Bangladesh.
I remember, on November 4, 1972, the country's constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly. Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his cabinet resigned.
The Constituent Assembly was dissolved. However, there was no vacuum. A new cabinet was formed again under the leadership of Sheikh Mujib. All the ministers were from the Awami League. The first general elections of independent Bengal were held on March 7, 1973. The ministers elected while in office. There was terrorism before and after voting in many places and rigging in the counting of results.
Throughout the 1980s, all parties were vocal in demanding elections under a neutral caretaker government in this country. The BNP boycotted the elections in 1986, announcing that it would not contest elections under the ruling military government of Ershad. In the elections held under the non-partisan caretaker government of Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed in 1991, the BNP formed the government with a single majority and the written support of Jamaat-e-Islami. Khaleda Zia became the country's first female Prime Minister.
At the same time, she was the first Prime Minister to win the first free, impartial and fair election in the history of this country. This is a matter of utmost pride for the BNP. However, they opposed the next election being held under a neutral government and set a bad example of a one-sided election in February 1996. Their government lasted for about two months. They were forced to bring a caretaker government bill in parliament. When the new elections were held, the Awami League got a single majority and formed the government with the support of the Jatiya Party and the Jasad (RAB). Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister.
The Awami League is now a fugitive. The burden of their sins is so heavy that they cannot justify themselves in any way. Now they have taken refuge in their patron, India. Almost all political parties in India are supporting the Awami League. Because, they do not want to 'lose' this country. On the other hand, Awami League does not want the country. They want power.
This is how it went on. When elections were held again in 2001 under the caretaker government, BNP returned to power. One thing is noteworthy. If elections were not held under a party government, the same party cannot win elections repeatedly. If elections were held under a neutral caretaker government, there is a possibility of the opposition winning. Those who want a permanent settlement of power do not like this system. With a 100% guarantee of winning the election, the distortion of the caretaker system began to occur.
In 2006-07, the BNP wanted to hold elections under the cover of some kind of caretaker government system by putting a gun to the neck of President Iazuddin Ahmed. That was not possible because of the 1-11. That is why the ghost of the 1-11 still haunts them. I still believe that if BNP had not tried to manipulate the election, the 1-11 would not have happened. Nothing happens automatically. It needs a context. The BNP itself created the conditions of one-eleven. Their 'conspiracy' was surpassed by the 'conspiracy' of more seasoned players.
In 2008, the Awami League came to power again. They saw that this was a very interesting game! They removed the caretaker system from the constitution. As a result, there was no chance of defeating them through elections. But they created the conditions for their fall. I saw a solution to it on August 5, 2024. But it does not end here.
The Awami League is now a fugitive. The burden of their sins is so heavy that they cannot justify themselves in any way. Now they have taken refuge in their patron, India. Almost all political parties in India are supporting the Awami League. Because they do not want to 'lose' this country. On the other hand, the Awami League does not want the country. They want power.
There is uncertainty about when the elections will be held. The government and other political circles have created a haze of conflicting statements. BNP is a big party. With the Awami League in a hole, the field is now largely in their hands.
There has been unrest among them regarding the elections. 18 years of waiting. How much longer? New rivals have emerged in the meantime. If the youth form a new political party, it could pose a challenge to the BNP. There have been allegations that the interim government is trying to create a 'King's Party' so that they can remain in power for a long time.
In this context, I remembered something. Many are vocal about the immigration policy of the Trump administration in the United States. Trump represents those Americans who do not want new immigrants. It is quite interesting.
