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Online Desk  :  The ruling party BNP has taken the initiative to ‘evaluate’ its partners in the simultaneous movement against the Awami League government. The leaders of the partner parties are going to join the government soon. According to their capability, top leaders of the BNP’s like-minded alliance and the party may be appointed to various important positions, starting from the cabinet. The matter is under active consideration by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The BNP government will complete six months on August 16. After that, there is a possibility of reshuffling the cabinet. The Prime Minister will evaluate the work of the ministers and state ministers according to their image and performance in the six months. Along with the reshuffle in the cabinet, its size may also increase. Many senior leaders of the excluded party may be involved in this. At the same time, the evaluation process of the worthy leaders of important partner parties in the simultaneous movement is underway. This information has been known from reliable sources related to BNP, partner parties and the government.

According to the sources, from the like-minded partner parties, the names of Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) president MP Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho, and Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Hoq are in discussion to be included in the cabinet. Besides, Jatiya Party (Kazi Jafar) leader Mustafa Jamal Haider, Gono Forum’s Subrata Chowdhury, NPP’s Dr. Farhaduzzaman Farhad, Bhashani Janashakti Party’s Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu, JSD’s Tania Rob, Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s Mufti Mohiuddin Ikram and several others may get posts in important government departments according to their respective qualifications.

Although most of the leaders of the 42 parties involved in the simultaneous movement did not get a place, in the first cabinet formed, Zonaed Saki, the coordinator of the mass solidarity movement, was made the state minister for planning, and Nurul Haque Nur (VP Nur), the president of the People’s Rights Council, was made the state minister for expatriate welfare. In this situation, the leaders of the remaining parties remain disappointed and dissatisfied to become partners in the national government.

When asked about this, Nazrul Islam Khan, political advisor to the Prime Minister, member of the BNP’s national standing committee and coordinator of the liaison committee of the partner parties, told Bangladesh Pratidin, “There is an opportunity for the leaders of the partner parties to be involved at different levels in the implementation of the government’s huge development work and programs. That is, those who are experts in their respective sectors can be placed in important positions. It can be the cabinet or various positions in any other important department of the government. The Prime Minister herself has already said that he will look into their issue seriously in the future.”

Due to the political promises made by the partners during the elections and the movement, there has been a recent rift and dissatisfaction between the BNP and its allies. The top leaders of the allies have expressed their angst, alleging that the allies are being pushed aside due to the lack of evaluation and participation of the partners in the simultaneous movement, especially in the state power and policy-making process.

In this regard, former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University and UGC Chairman Professor Dr. SMA Faiz said, ‘It is important to have respect for each other in politics. We should see each other with respect. The partners have protested together in the anti-fascist movement. The leaders of Jamaat and NCP also participated in the anti-dictatorship movement at that time. Now the BNP has formed the government. On the other hand, Jamaat-NCP has joined the opposition. It is normal for the government and opposition parties to play their respective roles in the National Assembly. But the way in which the opposition is being vilified outside the parliament and the current environment is unacceptable. In this situation, a huge challenge has arisen before the government. There is no alternative to the parties remaining united in a simultaneous movement to face this challenge. The government must also give them due respect and appreciation.”

According to the information, the ruling BNP government’s ‘honeymoon’ phase is almost over. Now, the political parties involved in the simultaneous movement want the implementation of their promises. They want the government’s participation and the method of how they will be evaluated to be revealed. At the same time, they want the full implementation of their 31-point promises by maintaining strong unity that was existed during the anti-fascist simultaneous movement and confronting all anti-government conspiracies and propaganda. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has also assured the partners of proper evaluation in this regard and expressed his opinion that although there are differences of opinion among them, there is no fundamental difference. Since almost three weeks have passed, the leaders of the partner parties are raising questions as there is no initiative to implement it. Top leaders of the partner parties expressed these views while talking to Bangladesh Pratidin.

According to the top leaders of the simultaneous movement, they are currently ‘visible to the government, but (the political party) cannot see BNP’. Rather, BNP is being cornered nationwide by the conspiracies and propaganda of ‘hidden’ groups. Along with them, the conspirators of the fallen government want the current government to end in failure. The partner parties want to work together to protect the government from this conspiracy and lead it to success. And for this, they demanded that the government quickly fulfill the promises made to the partners before the elections.

The leaders said that on the evening of July 20, after sensing the dissatisfaction of the movement’s comrades-in-arms, the BNP organized a special meeting and dinner with the partner parties at the State Guest House Jamuna. At the meeting, the Prime Minister himself went from one table to another and exchanged greetings with the leaders. At this time, the top leaders of the alliance expressed their anger at the BNP for not fulfilling the promises made before the elections, including the formation of a national government. In response, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman strongly assured that the leaders of the relevant partner parties would be properly evaluated. The government said that there may be minor differences of opinion among the partners in the movement, but there is no disagreement or division in the anti-fascist unity.

Assuring proper evaluation at a dinner with 184 leaders of 42 partner parties in the simultaneous movement, the Prime Minister said, “There may be differences of opinion among the partner parties in the simultaneous movement to overthrow the fascist government, but there is no division. The country will be taken forward collectively with everyone in the light of the 31-point and the July Charter.” He said, “We are together, we were together, and God willing, we will be together in the future.”

What the partner leaders said: Mahmudur Rahman Manna, the top leader of the Ganatontro Mancho and president of Nagorik Oikya, one of the partner parties in the simultaneous movement, said, “A group including Jamaat is leading in anti-government activities. Now, if the government wants to fail on its own, we have nothing to do. However, if the government wants our cooperation, we will do it.” He wanted reforms in various fields including the judiciary, implementation of the July Charter, and the formation of a national government based on consensus, including the speedy implementation of all promises.

On the same issue, Saiful Huq, the top leader of the partner party, and also the general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party, said, “We are overwhelmed and impressed by the Prime Minister’s speech and hospitality in the recent meeting. We have thanked the government for the positive steps taken. Along with this, I have also said that BNP is politically regressing. BNP is unable to counter the propaganda being spread against the government and against the July spirit. We now see the visible government in the country (political party) and not BNP.”

He further said, “There are no strong steps to stop this propaganda. We do not see any example of working together with the partners of the movement. No one in the government has discussed any issue with the partners regarding the nomination of MPs in reserved seats or the appointment of district council administrators. There is no initiative to implement the 31-point or July Charter or establish a “Rainbow Nation.” The government has also backed away from its promise to form a national government based on consensus. However, despite Jamaat getting only 13 seats in reserved seats, it is doing everything in discussions with its 11-party alliance partners. So, without wasting any more time, the government should now clarify how they will evaluate the alliance partners.”

Jatiya Party (Kazi Jafar) Chairman Mostafa Jamal Haider said, “The unity that exists among the patriotic democratic parties in the anti-fascist movement must be further strengthened, because domestic and foreign conspiracies have started against the country and the government. They want to defeat the government.’ He told the Prime Minister, ‘At this moment, the government should use those patriotic forces together at the right time and place.’

National Democratic Party (JSD) general secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan said, “We have worked unitedly in the anti-fascist movement. We want the commitment to reform in various fields, including the establishment of an independent judiciary, and the full implementation of the July Charter. Our cooperation with the government in this implementation work will continue.”

Jamiyate Ulema-e-Islam Mufti Mohiuddin Ikram said, “We want the government to fulfill its promises properly. We want to work unitedly with the government like a simultaneous movement and confront all conspiracies against the country and the government.”

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