AL camp demeans 'National Unity', renouncing initial 'welcome'

Concerned at public response to the new opposition coalition, ruling Awami League and its allies have joined a collective campaign to stigmitise the 'National Unity Process', to the extent of calling the initiative a conspiracy.

The ruling camp including AL president prime minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed the emergence of such opposition alliance initially when Gano Forum president Kamal Hossain was trying to tie up with former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury who then floated Jukto (United) Front to unite the opposition parties.

Once the principal opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) formally joined the process through the Dhaka rally on Saturday, the AL-led 14-party alliance leaders said they were taken aback.

Some of them admitted that the unity of the political parties and groups of left, right and centre had generated certain enthusiasm among the common people.

As it created causes for concern for them, the ruling alliance leaders believe they should exert pressure on the opposition alliance from the very beginning.

According to their initial calculations, these opposition parties and groups with diverse views would not be able to come under one umbrella.

In hindsight, the ruling camp observes, the National Unity Process joined by the BNP has virtually emerged as an opposition alliance against the governing party at a critical pre-election juncture.

So, the AL and its alliance leaders such as information minister Hasanul Haque Inu have started criticising the unity process in all manners.

AL chief, premier Sheikh Hasina, too, criticised the opposition while addressing a reception in New York. She said 'killers, money-launderers and interest-takers' had got united against her government and she fears the country will be destroyed if they could come to power.

The ruling camp still thinks, if the Unity leaders are kept under constant pressure through criticism, their unity will split.

As part of their tactics, the 14-party leaders are equating the Unity leaders with collaborators of the military-controlled government of 2007-08 or as part of 'conspiracy' by former chief justice SK Sinha who as he alleged was formed to quit his position.

The 14-party leaders have already been discussing the emergence of this new alliance and they decided to hold a series of rallies in the city and across the country shortly with the common aim to corner the National Unity leaders.

Before the Unity process took its current shape, prime minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed any platform outside of the AL, addressing press conference or any forum on 30 May, 2 September and 15 September.

On the ruling camp's reaction to the Unity process, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the government fails to understand that the people of the country want to get back their right to vote. He claimed that all are united now.

"The reports of the regime's corruption, including looting banks and share markets, are being published every day. Who did these? The prime minister can try to blame others but the people won't believe it," he said about the prime minister's criticism of the new opposition coalition.

Spokesperson of the 14-party alliance and health minister Mohammad Nasim alleged that the opposition leaders were engaged in conspiracy. "We fear they may do something other than joining the election. We won't tolerate that."

Unity leader and convenor of Nagorik Oikya Mahmudur Rahman Manna said the next election would be part of their movement.

"The Awami League got a walkover in the 2014 ballot but this time around, it will not be allowed to do so," he said adding that the ruling camp has found the National Unity Process as a key barrier to its design to cling on to power.