BNP Chairperson’s adviser and former opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque has said that recent remarks made by the Chief Adviser in an interview with Al Jazeera in New York have heightened public concerns regarding the upcoming national election.Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organized by the Dhaka-based Senbagh Forum at the National Press Club on Thursday, Farroque said:
“Anxiety has already been building up about the coming election in Bangladesh. During his interview, the Chief Adviser claimed that many people had told him he should remain in power for another five years. Such statements have only deepened public doubts and created confusion about the electoral process.” Farroque alleged that unrest in the hill tracts and attempts to create divisions in society were part of a conspiracy to derail the election. “Some people are even questioning whether the banned Awami League will be allowed to contest. While the government’s legal advisers have categorically said they cannot, such issues are being used to create a foggy and unstable environment,” he noted.
Raising further questions, he said:
“Who is responsible for this unrest in the hills? Is staying in power for five years important, or even 25 years? Sheikh Hasina remained in power for 16 years—how did the people of this country receive it? Are Bangladeshis living happily? Can they buy essentials at affordable prices? What is the state of law and order, the economy, and the banking sector? These are the real questions.”
Accusing the previous Awami League regime of corruption, nepotism, and authoritarian rule, Farroque said restoring normalcy to the country was now urgent.
Turning to the Chief Adviser, he remarked:
“You have been in power for one year and three months. During this time, how much of the billions of taka laundered abroad by the Awami League government have you been able to recover? Why are the banks in such dire condition? You are a respected and acceptable figure. Our party has faith in you and has stood by you. But when you suggest that people will keep you in power for another five years, questions naturally arise—will the next five years look like the past year?”
Farroque stressed that such remarks were inappropriate so close to the election, which is only three months away. He also pointed to recent tensions in the hill tracts and plots of unrest during Durga Puja as part of wider conspiracies. “However, I do not believe any conspiracy has ever succeeded in Bangladesh,” he added.
Claiming that the Awami League and India were the “main forces” behind unrest in the country, he said the coming election would be a “serious litmus test” for the Chief Adviser. “You are surrounded by many conspirators,” he warned.
The discussion was presided over by Senbagh Forum President Lion A.B.M. Faruq, while the organization’s general secretary Md. Mozammel Hossain Selim was also present.