BNP wants to form a national government if it wins the election. The party's secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir speaks to Prothom Alo about their thoughts in this regard, relations with India and the prevailing state of politics. The interview was taken by Qadir Kallol and Selim Zahid at the Gulshan office of the BNP chairperson. This is the final part of the two-part interview.
You have talked about forming a national government if BNP wins the election. What is a national government, can you explain the concept?
The concept is, you are in a movement and then you join the election. Ten parties win in the election, some with 5 candidates, some 10 and some 15, whatever. We will form a national government with them. We have clearly said that we want to implement our 31 points on the basis of this concept, where a national government will be formed with these parties.
So won't there be any opposition party?
Why won't there be an opposition party? We are not including Awami League with us. We have declared that Awami League won't be in the national government.
Will Jamaat-e-Islami be in the national government?
Jamaat will be there, but we haven't decided as yet whether we will include them in the national government.
Since you have spoken about a national government, will BNP contest in the election as a party or a coalition?
This hasn't been decided upon as yet. It still is not the time to do so. The election isn't decided upon as yet, why will I decide upon a coalition now?
People have certain apprehensions about BNP. In BNP's five-year rule from 2001 there were militant activities, the grenade attack, becoming the corruption champion four times and so on.
BNP is not an isolated island. BNP's political character is that of the country. BNP is a middle-of-the-road political party and has all sorts of people within its ranks. But unfortunately there is planned propaganda against BNP, claiming that it indulged militancy and corruption. Can anyone point to corruption within BNP anywhere close to that of Awami League's corruption over the past 15 years? No way. Yet the media never makes any mention of that. Why are you dragging up old matters? Talk about now, what we can do now. If we can form the government, then see what we do.
After the change in the political scenario, there have been allegations against BNP of forceful occupation and extortion in various places.
BNP as a party is not carrying out any forceful occupation or extortion. We have taken an extremely stern stand in this regard. The moment we get complaints in this regard, we take immediate action. We have even dissolved the Dhaka North city committee. We did it because there were complaints. These are the things we are doing. You all do not highlight these matters. It is not the BNP men who are involved in the corruption, but miscreants. We do not consider them to be BNP men. They are miscreants, bad people.
There are reports in the media that BNP is determining the accused in the cases that are being in various places. Is this being done from a party position?
No, we do not have any such party position. Our open position concerning the cases is that the victims will file the cases. We will help them. If the government, that is the police, file any cases, we will cooperate with them too. BNP is not lodging any cases.
After the change in scenario, tensions between BNP and Jamaat are coming to the fore. Is this distance strategic or ideological?
Unfortunately, Bangladesh's news media always portrays this matter in a different manner. We never had any ideological similarities with Jamaat-e-Islami. The question doesn't arise. Our alliance with Jamaat had been for the movement and an election alliance. This can change in different circumstances. I do not see any distance grown between BNP and Jamaat. Have you heard me making any statement or speech against Jamaat? I have not. It is not that we have never done so. We haven't been much in favour of Jamaat in the past either. And there was no alliance for the past few years. We broke the alliance long ago. We carried out a simultaneous movement with like-minded parties. And Jamaat carried out a movement on its own too.
But Jamaat's amir recently said that BNP has already come to power. They have grabbed 80 per cent of the power already, that they have not spared anyone, from the beggar's bowl to the bazaars.
If he has made such a statement, I really do not know what he exactly said. I feel he has made a non-political statement. They are talking about national unity, such words do not bode well for national unity. They have moved away from that that position now. But we still see them talking about national unity.
For long BNP had visibly adverse relations with India. Recently you said that the ice has begun melting in relations with India. Why?
I said this in the context of the Indian high commissioner (Pranay Kumar Verma)'s visit to our office. They hadn't visited our office for many years before this. They visited our office, and so I feel that certainly there is a change in their attitude towards BNP. Or else, they wouldn't have come here and held talks with us. That is why I said the ice is melting in our relations with India. And it should.
It is not just about BNP. Everyone is Bangladesh should keep up relations with India because it is our largest neighbour. Also, we have trade with India in many sectors. We import food grain, rice, lentils, ginger and spices from India. We have recently being bringing in coal too and there are many projects. So not keeping up relations with India, not talking with India, can't be politics.
If Tarique Rahman wants to come to the country tomorrow, he can. But we don't want him to come just like that. We feel it would be best to clear up all the legal matters first
At what stage are your relations with India now?
It is difficult to say at what stage relations are, but we are on talking terms.
Have any conditions been raised?
No. They never gave us any conditions and still they haven't. I feel that they have moved forward and we view this positively. We should take this step further ahead. You may not agree with their politics, but you can engage with them. There is the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, but aren't third parties talking? There is the Israel-Gaza war, isn't a third party talking? That is reality. In Bangladesh, a populist party may ignore India and carry on with their politics, but if you want to practice pragmatic politics, I do not see any scope of completely side-stepping India.
How did things deteriorate?
I would term India's misplaced mistrust a mistake on their part. It was a mistake to support just one single party, to place all their eggs in one basket. It was Awami League and no one else. That created a distance between India and the greater population. Their assessment was mistaken. They thought with a popular party like Awami League in power, all their problems would be resolved. Some were. But if those issues are not discussed through talks with a popular party like BNP, then there is bound to be a misunderstanding.
When will BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman return to the country?
He will return soon, once the cases against him are sorted to a certain extent
Are you in communication with the government concerning his cases and his return to the country?
Yes, we have told the government that the cases against him should be lifted soon. There are still cases against Madam (Khaleda Zia).
Are you referring to any particular case?
Why should there be any specific cases? There are thousands of cases, 1 lakh 45 cases. They have to take an overall decision to withdraw the cases against all the parties that had been in the movement against Awami League. That should be the spirit. You (the government) should pass an order for all repressive cases filed on political grounds from this year to this year will be dropped.
Any deadline from you all?
It is not a matter if deadline. Listen, if Tarique Rahman wants to come to the country tomorrow, he can. But we don't want him to come just like that. We feel it would be best to clear up all the legal matters first.
Will BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia become active in politics again?
We can't say anything about that right now. She is extremely unwell. If she feels fit enough, or if the physicians say yes, her condition is well enough, then she certainly will.
The special assistant to the chief advisor Mahfuz Alam, in an interview with Prothom Alo, said people want BNP to come cleansed, that Jamaat shrug off its historical liability and fascist propensities, that Awami League also go through trial and redemption and give up its extreme fascism and Mujib-ism. What do you have to say about this?
Mahfuz Alam has emerged new on the scene, when the country was at critical crossroads. He can certain speak out. BNP is a democratic party. We have fought against autocracy and fascism for 16 years. In the nineties we fought for 9 years against autocracy. If we have made any mistakes, the people will judge us.
Thank you.
Thank you too.
(End)
* This interview appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir