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by IANS |
New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) Bangladesh will go to polls this month and the battle is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. Although there are many more parties in the fray, experts say that only the BNP or Jamaat have the capability of winning. The ban on the Awami League following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina has been a dampener for many supporters. At first they had made it clear that they would be boycotting the elections. During the campaign, what is being noticed is that both the Jamaat and BNP candidates are being told that they risk being singled out if they do not vote.
The Jamaat-e-Islami has managed to drum up a narrative that it completely anti-Awami League. Its candidates openly tell the people that they are anti-national if they support Sheikh Hasina’s party.
The Awami League supporters now find themselves in a dilemma in case they decided to abstain. The Jamaat has set up a team to identify those persons who do not step out and vote in the elections scheduled to be held this month.
These persons would then be identified as Awami League supporters and there is every chance of them being targeted, an official said.
Both the Jamaat and BNP claim that under Sheikh Hasina’s rule, their people were persecuted. The Jamaat was banned and many of its members executed under Hasina.
Many BNP leaders including former Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia were put in jail during Hasina’s rule. Another official said that both the BNP and Jamaat would want their pound of flesh.
The Jamaat in particular wants to ensure that the Awami League is completely wiped out. While its campaign is about getting votes, it is also about warning the Awami League supporters against abstaining.
When the elections were announced, many had thought that the Awami League supporters would abstain from voting. However that trend has changed and experts say that the Awami League supporters would all go out and vote. This is mainly due to the fear of being persecuted, the experts also say.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the fear that the Jamaat and others have created seems to be working for them. There are many who do not admit that they are supporters of the Awami League.
While the party has faced similar issues in the past, this time it is different. The supporters of the party are being threatened and this is a clear attempt to wipe out everything to do with the Awami League.
Another official said that while sustained efforts are being made to wipe out the party, it is unlikely that its leaders would give up so easily.
There are many exiled leaders of the party who are plotting a comeback.
There are thousands of party members who fled Bangladesh in the wake of the uprising which led to the ouster of Hasina. Many of them are currently in Kolkata and they meet up regularly to plan a comeback.
In addition to this, they regularly keep in touch with Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in New Delhi.
Over the last couple of weeks, she has been in touch with her party members both in Bangladesh as well as in Kolkata.
Experts say that if the Awami League wants to remain relevant, then it would have to act fast.
The Jamaat and the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is hell-bent on wiping out the party.
Ahead of the elections, Sheikh Hasina’s party members have been telling the people to boycott polling. However, Bangladesh watchers say that it is highly unlikely that a boycott would take place as the Awami League supporters are too scared of being identified and targeted.
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