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After at least six months since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, the Awami League issued a statement calling the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government “illegal and unconstitutional”
The top leadership of the Awami League, which is in exile, has chalked out a month’s schedule from February 1, starting with leaflet distribution in different parts of Bangladesh. (Image for representation: AFP)
The Awami League, the previous ruling party of Bangladesh, has been in hibernation for at least six months after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. But, in order for it to survive in the current political climate, it has to fight back.
After months of alleged attacks on its leaders, minorities, religious places belonging to minorities, the Awami League on Tuesday issued a statement calling the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government “illegal and unconstitutional”.
For the first time after August 5, 2024, when Hasina fled Bangladesh, her party has decided to politically take on Yunus and his supporters. The top leadership of the party, which is in exile, has chalked out a month’s schedule from February 1, starting with leaflet distribution in different parts of the country.
The leaflets will seek to inform the people of, what the Awami League calls, the “misrule” of Yunus. On February 6, it plans to take out a protest march ending with a public meeting. On February 10, it has planned another agitation and a public meeting.
The party is planning blockades in different parts of Bangladesh on February 16, which it considers a “warm-up” to its penultimate plan of holding a nationwide bandh on February 18.
Not only this, the Awami League will also be taking stock of the ongoing case against Hasina in the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh that it has labelled “fake”. The party still refers to Hasina as the prime minister, who also faces a second arrest warrant issued this month. The tribunal has so far recorded three cases against her.
Calling Yunus “fascist”, the party has strongly objected to the “genocide” of religious minorities and attack on their places of worship, the alleged murder of more than 3,000 children, students, youth, and police personnel through “meticulous design”.
The change in tack also comes at a time when Donald Trump has taken charge of the Oval Office for a second term, and has already taken decisions that reflect his bitter feelings for Yunus.
Hasina and her party find themselves “validated” as Trump halted United States Agency For International Development (USAID) funding to Bangladesh. Awami League leaders have said this reflects the “truth of the interim government of Bangladesh”.
- Location :
Dhaka, Bangladesh
