Did Fakhrul really snub Jamaat in Indian newspaper interview?

An interview published yesterday by the Kolkata-based Indian newspaper Ei Samay with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has triggered political controversy, drawing sharp criticism from Jamaat-e-Islami and sparking debate across social media.

The report quoted Fakhrul as saying that Jamaat-e-Islami had sought 30 seats from the BNP for the upcoming national election, but BNP showed "little interest." The report further cited him as adding, "We offered a much smaller number, which they found unacceptable. I assure you: we will not allow Jamaat to overstep its bounds. We've unnecessarily given them more priority than they deserve as a political force."

The interview was headlined: "Why is India keeping BNP and Jamaat in the same bracket? questions Mirza Fakhrul".

According to the newspaper, the interview was conducted recently at the BNP Chairperson's office in Gulshan, Dhaka, where Fakhrul was asked about seat-sharing with the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat's reported demand for 50 seats.

The remarks drew an immediate backlash from Jamaat. In a statement issued today, the party's Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said, "It is difficult for us to believe that such completely false, disrespectful, and vengeful comments have been made by a senior politician like Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The comments could not be further from the truth and lack decency. If these comments are indeed his, then we are forced to protest and condemn them."

BNP leaders, however, rejected the Ei Samay interview, insisting Fakhrul had been misquoted.

Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of BNP's Media Cell, told The Daily Star, "I saw the news, contacted the secretary general, and sent him the link of the interview. He told me that he did not make such comments during the interview. As a senior political leader, he never makes frivolous statements. He condemned the publication of such news and urged people not to be misled."

Khan also said that several Bangladeshi outlets had republished the Ei Samay interview with "incorrect and misleading" headlines.

On BNP's official Facebook page, the party reiterated Fakhrul's denial: "The remarks attributed to him in the interview published in the Indian newspaper Ei Samay were never made by him."

As of 6:30pm today, Ei Samay had not issued any clarification or response on its online platform.

Fakhrul is currently in New York, accompanying Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to the United Nations General Assembly, alongside senior leaders of Jamaat and the NCP.