BNP politics

Some questions, however, still remain unanswered. For example, Jamaat-e- Islami, according to its party manifesto, is an Islamic party aiming to establish Islamic rule in the country based on Sharia law. It does not believe in women leadership. It opposed the liberation war of Bangladesh and took side with the Pakistani occupation army in committing a genocide in Bangladesh during the war of liberation. It has neither felt repentant nor apologised to the nation for this heinous crime which means that this party still does not believe in the independence of Bangladesh.

The BNP, on the other hand, is a right leaning party apparently committed to democratic as well as Islamic values. How much it exercises the values in practice is a different matter. It has no agenda for Islamic rule or Sharia law for the country. It has no problem with women leadership. Its chairperson has been a woman for the last 25 years. Its founder president was a valiant freedom fighter and a number of freedom fighters are still there in the party. How does it reconcile with the ideologies of the Jamaat?

The people of Bangladesh are religious minded but not fundamentalists. They love democracy. They have a long history and tradition of democratic struggle. The Jamaat does not, and cannot, believe in the type of democracy we like to practice. They have been participating in our democratic process as a strategic ploy to gain strength and seize power, if need be through violent means in the name of Jihad. That they have achieved this strength (by the courtesy of BNP) has been amply demonstrated in the recent past.

So, the big question is, 'who is going to toe whose line?' The Jamaat is to merge with the BNP or vice versa ? Hope Tarek Zia is fully aware of the fact that all indications are there for the latter. Only the other day one Jamaat lawmaker told a public meeting that the next alliance would be Jamaat-BNP alliance, not BNP-Jamaat. Reportedly, they have asked for 100 seats this time. No wonder they will ask for 200 seats next time, if at all they want to pursue the same line of politics until then.

Another pertinent question could be the status of BNP freedom fighters. Will they vacate their seats to make room for Rokons or prefer to live together as neo-Rokons forgetting that once they fought against them for freedom of their motherland? What about the Bir Uttoms and Bir Bicroms?

More importantly, the founder Ameer and the spiritual leader of the Jamaat, Professor Golam Azam makes no secret of his intention to revive the two nation theory of 1947.

By shaking hands with Jamaat leaders publicly and confirming Moulana Delwar Hossain Saeedi's earlier claim that BNP and Jamaat are two sons of the same mother, Tarek Zia has not only dispelled doubts from the minds of those of his party men who had reservations about keeping the Jamaat in the alliance, he is also probably trying to give the BNP a new dimension and outlook in the backdrop of a highly explosive political, social and economic situation prevailing in the country. We might name it neo-BNP. The Jamaat may prefer a different name such as JB (the initial alphabets of the two parties).

But certainly the voters would like to have an honest reply from Tarek Zia before the next election about the points I have raised above.