3 months ago
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As Bangladesh goes to the polls, the Awami League continues to stay underground portion its workers transportation retired interior discussions dissecting the reasons down the party’s downfall.
The party’s apical leadership, including deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, stay successful exile successful assorted countries specified arsenic India and Belgium, its grassroots leaders mince nary words portion examining the reasons that led to the overthrow of the enactment successful the 2024 uprising.
Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and Hasan Mahmud, who were Ministers successful the Sheikh Hasina Government, addressed property conferences successful Delhi successful January, but Awami League workers who spoke to The Hindu here said that galore of the Ministers and individuals who formed the coterie astir Ms. Hasina lacked popularity and acceptance wrong the party.
Mohammed Nahid Akhtar Nahan, a mid-level person of the Awami League successful Rajshahi division, said that the enactment became internally anemic with the passing distant of Syed Ashraful Islam, who served arsenic wide caput of the Awami League. Mr. Islam was the lad of Syed Nazrul Islam, 1 of the 4 large leaders who were killed during the infamous ‘jail sidesplitting day’ connected November 3, 1975. Mr. Nahan said that Mr. Islam had an impeccable estimation wrong the enactment and committedness to its founding principles.
After Mr. Islam died successful 2019, Senior Minister Obaidul Quader became the General Secretary. “Obaidul Quader and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan were not popular. They wielded powerfulness and took important decisions, but the enactment did not payment organisationally. People from extracurricular were brought into the enactment due to the fact that they were large businessmen, and grassroots organisers were mistreated oregon downgraded, and voicing frank sentiment was discouraged,” said Mr. Nahan.
He further shared that portion respective apical leaders of the Awami League fled the country, it was the mid- and lower-level workers who had to look the brunt of fashionable anger. He claimed that his household location successful Rajshahi was attacked successful July-August 2024 and that ever since, helium and his household members person been surviving successful Dhaka arsenic the ample municipality dispersed of the metropolis gives them immoderate consciousness of security.
“Obaidul Quader started promoting hybrid leaders who came to the Awami League but promoted the interests of their businesses and different governmental agendas,” said Mr. Nahan. He said that beingness has been hard since the Awami League remains banned, though the workers of the enactment tin determination astir and clasp meetings among themselves.
Another Awami League worker, Rakesh Chandra Sarkar of Brahmanbaria district, said the party’s supporters bash not privation the coterie that utilized to situation Ms. Hasina to instrumentality immoderate important relation successful future. Mr. Sarkar, who is an advocator successful Brahmanbaria, said Awami League workers and supporters are attached to the enactment and the past of Liberation War of 1971, but they bash not respect the apical Ministers of the deposed authorities highly.
He besides suggested that a bully fig of Awami League voters volition ballot for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) arsenic they consciousness that, successful the existent circumstances, the BNP tin stabilise the country. “We are workers of the party, and for us, the enactment comes first. People are genuinely upset with the leaders who utilized to situation Hasina and benefited the astir and are present hiding abroad. We don’t privation them to instrumentality and instrumentality complaint of our enactment successful the future,” said Mr. Sarkar.
