Various parties and alliances had taken up a simultaneous movement with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) before the 12th Jatiya Sangsad elections. The boycott of the election and the simultaneous movement was, in effect, a failure as governing Bangladesh Awami League (AL) went ahead with the election despite the movement. Apprehensions have now emerged over the future of the anti-government simultaneous movement.
Six months have passed since the election was held on 7 January this year, but the anti-government elements have not held any simultaneous movement. There is no likelihood of any such simultaneous movement in the near future either.
In such a situation, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, one of the main leaders of a partner in the simultaneous movement, Ganatantra Mancha, said, "There is no simultaneous movement now."
His statement has sparked off questions regarding the future of the simultaneous movement.
Speaking at an event held at the National Press Club on Saturday, Mahmudur Rahman said, "The nation demands an all-encompassing unity. But many are gradually falling away. It was simultaneous before, now many are asking about the simultaneous movement. There is no simultaneous movement now."
Then again, the Nagorik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman has also said about the simultaneous movement, "After 7 January, there was a perception among the people that the opposition had failed. We had wanted the fall of the government, an interim government and then elections under the interim government. Nothing of that happened. So people may think that way. There may be a simultaneous movement again. No one can remove this misrule alone."
There may be a simultaneous movement again. No one can remove this misrule alone.Mahmudur Rahman, convener, Nagorik Oikya
The anti-government parties and coalitions including BNP held the first programme of the simultaneous movement on 30 December 2022. After that for over one year at a stretch they held various programmes. The various parties and coalitions, alongside BNP, observed various programmes within their limited capacity.
Several coalitions and parties took part in the simultaneous movement under BNP's leadership. Prominent among them were the five-party coalition Ganatantra Mancha, the 12 Party alliance and the Jatiyatabadi Samamana Jote. Other than that there was Oli Ahmed's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), AB Party, Bangladesh Labour Party, Gono Forum, People's Party and two factions of Gono Odhikar Parishad.
The simultaneous movement has lost steam, with no programmes after the 7 January election.
Speaking to Prothom Alo about the matter, BNP's standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said that movements and programmes are not held every day. We held meetings with the allies even in May.
Preliminary meetings were held and programmes will be fixed, he stressed.
Coordinator of Ganatantra Mancha Zonayed Saki, said it was not correct that there was no simultaneous movement. He told Prothom Alo, the simultaneous movement has moved into the next phase after 7 January
BNP held meetings in May separately with its allies of the simultaneous movement. However no decision was taken on any programme. The parties and coalitions that boycotted the election are now holding programmes separately.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Nurul Haque, president of Gono Odhikar Parishad, a partner of the simultaneous movement, said, there has been no simultaneous movement in the six months since the national election, but there is understanding among the parties. There have been discussions on the way ahead.
He further said everyone agrees that the unity that had been forged centering the election, must be maintained.
Leaders of several parties and coalitions of the simultaneous movement say that there is a sense of frustration among the parties and coalitions that took part in simultaneous movement with BNP. They have certain grievances towards the main party of the movement, BNP, for not keeping up continuity of the movement after the national election. They have raised issues of lack of coordination in the movement, along with indecision and strategic weaknesses.
After the election, the allies had told BNP that they would go ahead with their movements on their own accord. They said there had been a lack of coordination in the movement. There was lacking in the strategy and guidelines. After the 28 October 2023 grand rally, the movement lost coordination. These weaknesses must be addressed if the movement is to be taken up again.
Now BNP and the other parties which boycotted the election are holding their own separates programmes. When programmes are held on various issues, the leaders of the parties and coalitions of the simultaneous movement also attend. Even though there is no simultaneous movement, there is communication and the leaders deliver speeches at each other's programmes. The leaders said that everyone was committed to keep up the unity of the simultaneous movement.
Coordinator of Ganatantra Mancha and chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolan, Zonayed Saki, said it was not correct that there was no simultaneous movement.
He told Prothom Alo, the simultaneous movement has moved into the next phase after 7 January. Talks are on about how the movement would be carried out under the new circumstances. The parties are preparing themselves.
Within the next couple of months, details of the movement will be clearer, he added.
* The report, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir