Verbal Crossfire Erupts Between Bangladesh Parties Over Reforms Ahead of Elections

Dhaka – As Bangladesh moves closer to its general elections, political tensions are intensifying, with major parties locked in a fierce war of words over the need for electoral and structural reforms.

According to a report by The Dhaka Tribune, a heated exchange has broken out between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, and the newly-formed National Citizens' Party (NCP), with each side accusing the others of missteps and opportunism.

At a press conference on Monday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused rivals of using recent violent incidents to destabilise the country. He pointed to the murder of 43-year-old scrap dealer Lal Chand Sohag in Old Dhaka's Mitford area—where BNP members have been implicated—as part of a broader plan to create unrest for political gain.

On the same day, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Central Executive Committee member Mohammad Selim Uddin, speaking at a rally in Dhaka’s Mirpur, took indirect aim at BNP. “Due to growing public dissatisfaction, a certain political party was already shown a yellow card. Now, with the Mitford incident, the people have given them a red card,” he said.

Criticising BNP further, Selim added, “They squandered the opportunity created by the August uprising. Instead of guiding their cadre with Islamic values, they allowed a culture of extortion. Their motto now appears to be: reward extortion, punish resistance.”

Meanwhile, the NCP has intensified its calls for reforms and national reconstruction—demands the BNP has repeatedly dismissed. According to the BNP, insisting on pre-election reforms serves only to delay the democratic process.

At a Tuesday night rally, NCP South Region Chief Organiser Hasanat Abdullah accused all major parties of “selective outrage.” He also slammed the Election Commission (EC), accusing it of bias, especially after the EC listed the Awami League's boat symbol on its website.

Abdullah demanded the symbol’s removal and called for fairer treatment after the EC rejected NCP's request to register the Shapla (water lily) as its symbol. He also voiced concerns about the transparency of the online nomination process, declaring, “A credible election is not possible under this commission.”

Abdullah pledged to politically challenge the EC and reiterated his party's demand for electoral reforms and a complete overhaul of the commission.

BNP, however, remains firmly opposed to delaying elections in the name of reforms. Commenting on the interim government's push—led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus—for “justice and reforms before polls,” BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan declared, “BNP will no longer accept this excuse.”

“Justice and reform are ongoing processes,” he added. “The interim government's sole priority must be to restore democracy by ensuring that the people can vote freely.”

The once unified opposition front that rallied together with student leaders and Muhammad Yunus to oust former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League now appears fragmented, with parties openly clashing in public speeches and on social media.

The earlier sense of solidarity among anti-Hasina forces is now visibly eroding as the political battleground heats up in the lead-up to the polls.

With inputs from IANS