DHAKA: A fresh controversy convulsed Bangladesh on Friday after the National Citizen Party (NCP), launched by Nahid Islam – man who led the anti-Sheikh Hasina movement – alleged that efforts are being made by the “army” to relaunch the Awami League under a new name, “Refined Awami League“, as part of an India-sponsored conspiracy.
The allegations came on a day the army had to be deployed in Dhaka along with police in view of demonstrations by student groups and hardline Islamist organisation Hefazat-e-Islam to demand a ban on the Awami League. On Thursday, Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said there are no plans to ban the Awami League but individuals within its leadership will be tried for “crimes against humanity”.
In a Facebook post, NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah said the proposal for this “Refined Awami League, led by Awami league members Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Fazle Noor Taposh” was placed before him and two others on March 11 by “the cantonment”, an apparent reference to the army.
Referring to the last year “July uprising” that led to the ouster of the Hasina-led Awami League govt, he said, “In July, your powerful movement helped us discard all prescriptions from cantonment and agencies. If you stand by us again today, if you join us on the streets, we will once again defeat this Indian conspiracy to rehabilitate the Awami League.”
“We were asked to accept the proposal in exchange for a seat-sharing agreement for the next national election,” Hasnat said, adding, “at the cantonment, we were told that more than one political party has already been given this proposal, and they have agreed to the rehabilitation of the Awami League on certain conditions.”
He did not tell who approached him. “We were further told that those who will lead this ‘Refined Awami League’ will start publicly admitting to the crimes of the Sheikh family from April-May onwards, distancing themselves from Hasina while pledging allegiance only to Bangabandhu’s Awami League.” The proposal, he said, was immediately rejected with the assertion that efforts should be made to prosecute Awami members.
In Oct last year, ex-environment minister Saber Chowdhury was freed from jail after bail in all six cases filed against him, while Shirin Chaudhury & Taposh were not arrested.