BNP to seek allies’ advice in running govt

Five months after forming the government, Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman held his first formal meeting with the leaders of the parties that had joined the party’s simultaneous anti-government movement.

The meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half, took place on Monday evening at the State Guest House Jamuna. Discussions focused on the administration of the government, coordination with alliance partners, future political programmes, and the implementation of commitments made during the movement.

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister hosted a dinner in honour of the alliance leaders.

According to sources familiar with the meeting, it was arranged to obtain the opinions and advice of the alliance partners on governing the country and to further strengthen the long-standing political alliance.

Although the BNP had pledged before the election to form a “national government,” only three leaders from three allied parties were included in the cabinet, creating dissatisfaction among several partners. Against that backdrop, the meeting was considered particularly significant.

Those attending included State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki, State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobi Hajjaj, along with leaders of various parties that had participated in the simultaneous movement. Other participants included Andaleev Rahman Partho, Saiful Haque, Rafiqul Islam Bablu, Shahadat Hossain Selim, and Fariduzzaman Farhad.

Representing the BNP were Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, and other senior party leaders.

However, the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) led by A S M Abdur Rob did not attend the meeting. Although Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam was invited, the party also declined to participate for what it described as strategic reasons.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, JSD General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud said, “We deliberately decided not to attend. We have submitted a letter to the BNP’s Gulshan office explaining our reasons.”

According to sources, the letter stated that participating in a separate political meeting with the BNP before achieving national consensus on the July Charter, a referendum, and state reforms could create confusion regarding the party’s policy position and its commitments to the public. For that reason, the JSD decided not to attend the meeting. It added, however, that the party would participate constructively in any national dialogue organized by the state or government involving all political forces.

In the parliamentary election held on 12 February, the BNP left 15 constituencies for its alliance partners. Of these, eight seats were allocated to five parties contesting under their own electoral symbols.

Zonayed Saki of the Ganosamhati Andolan, Andaleeve Rahman Partho of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, and Nurul Haque of the Gono Odhikar Parishad won their respective seats.

Later, Zonayed Saki, Nurul Haque, and Bobi Hajjaj were appointed as state ministers, while Andaleeve Rahman Partho was made Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

Several leaders of allied parties also left their own organisations, joined the BNP, and contested the election under the party’s Sheaf of Paddy symbol. Among them, Shahadat Hossain Selim and Bobi Hajjaj were elected to Parliament.

Rashed Khan, who also joined the BNP, was appointed on Sunday as the Prime Minister’s Political Assistant with the rank of Secretary on a contractual basis.

Sources said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, despite not having been part of the simultaneous movement, was also invited to the meeting because it had reached an electoral understanding with the BNP before the election.

The party, however, chose not to attend. In the last parliamentary election, the BNP had allocated four constituencies to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, but none of the party’s candidates, including its president and secretary general, succeeded in winning.

Of those four constituencies, one was won by a candidate from Khelafat Majlis, one by a BNP rebel, one by Jamaat-e-Islami, and one by the National Citizen Party (NCP).

Since the election, there have been ongoing debates within religious-based politics between scholars associated with Qawmi madrasahs and those aligned with Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamiat President Ubaidullah Farooq has publicly criticised Jamaat’s ideological and political orientation.

Sources said Jamiat stayed away from the Prime Minister’s meeting for strategic reasons after informing senior BNP leaders in advance.

Asked about the decision, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Secretary General Manzurul Islam Afendi told Prothom Alo on Monday night, “We received the invitation, but it was our party’s decision not to attend. We are not disclosing the reason at this moment.”

One of the BNP’s principal allies in the simultaneous movement is the Ganatantra Mancha, of which Mahmudur Rahman Manna and his party Nagorik Oikya are key members. The BNP did not nominate Manna as a candidate in the election, leading to some tension shortly before the polls. However, neither side pursued the matter further, and according to those familiar with the meeting, Manna attended Monday’s gathering.

According to several participants, one alliance leader expressed dissatisfaction with the way invitations had been extended. He noted that while the formal invitation came from the office of the Principal Secretary, a BNP official from the party’s Gulshan office later contacted invitees by telephone.

In his view, this process did not reflect the level of political respect that should characterise communication with allied political parties.

The discussion also touched on the BNP’s political posture since assuming office. Several leaders observed that both the BNP and the alliance partners had not maintained a visible presence in grassroots political activities after forming the government.

They also said the BNP had faced criticism over the past five months regarding the implementation of the July Charter and broader state reform initiatives.

Alliance leaders further argued that they had been excluded from several important decisions, including the election of members to the reserved women’s seats in Parliament and the appointment of administrators to local government bodies. As a result, one leader said, an impression had developed that the BNP was pursuing a “go-it-alone” approach, creating uncertainty and distance among its allies.

Toward the end of the meeting, one participant jokingly asked whether the Prime Minister’s dinner was intended as a “farewell dinner.” Smiling, the Prime Minister replied, “No, it’s a welcome dinner.”

According to meeting sources, the Prime Minister said that after taking office, the government had been occupied with various priority tasks, making it difficult to hold regular meetings with all political parties.

He said the government was implementing a range of programmes to reach the public, including agricultural loans, family cards, farmer cards, allowances for religious leaders and athletes, and canal re-excavation projects.

Referring to the country’s economic and institutional challenges, the Prime Minister said the government had begun its work from what he described as “a heap of ruins” and had undertaken efforts to rebuild institutions that had collapsed. He also reaffirmed his commitment to holding more regular consultations with alliance partners and to implementing both the 31-point programme announced during the movement and the July Charter, which was signed by various political parties.

After the meeting, Local Government Minister and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir spoke to journalists. He described the gathering as an important political event held five months after the formation of the government.

He said the meeting had been emotionally charged, with participants recalling the 15 to 16 years of political struggle, imprisonment, legal cases, enforced disappearances, and killings. According to him, the alliance leaders expressed positive views about the government’s performance and agreed to continue working together in the future.

Responding to a question about local government elections, Mirza Fakhrul said that the current law does not permit such elections to be held under party symbols. He added that a decision on the matter would be taken after discussions with political parties.

Following an exchange of greetings, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman joined the senior leaders of the alliance parties for dinner.