Bangladesh party calls out Yunus' 'reform' excuse to delay polls: How many time will you...

The turmoil in Bangladesh continues to persist as parties accuse the country’s interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus of allegedly stalling reforms in a bid to delay polls. On Saturday, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Salahuddin Ahmed alleged that the Yunus administration is offering nothing, just empty gestures in the name of reform.

Ahmed emphasised that Yunus has taken no concrete steps to ensure that the national elections can be held by 2025 and not get dragged into 2026. Meanwhile, the Nobel laureate said that the polls will be conducted between December 2025 and June 2026, insisting that reforms need to be implemented before the polls.

“How many times will you inaugurate these reforms?” asked the Standing Committee member of the BNP. According to Bangladeshi news outlet The Daily Star, Ahmed made these remarks while speaking at the event organised by Krishak Dal at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka. The event marked the 44th death anniversary of party founder Ziaur Rahman.

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The BNP leader pointed out how the reforms are not substantive in reality. “Again, in the third phase, you have merged things together … you are just showing us the ‘banana of reforms’,” he said. In light of this, Yunus has invited the parties for talks tomorrow.

Referring to the chief adviser’s latest calls for talks, Ahmed said: “We’ve told you to compile what has already been discussed and present it to the nation. But instead, you’re going through rituals with no real work being done. Why another fresh inauguration on June 2 for the third round? How many inaugurations does it take?”

He went on to condemn Yunus for what he described as “backtracking on earlier assurances”. “You told us there would be an election by December, but then you backtracked. That is unfortunate,” he said. “If merely speaking about reclaiming our democratic rights makes you uncomfortable, honourable chief adviser, that is truly disappointing. How much longer will you delay reforms using this excuse?” the Bangladesh politician furthered.

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The divide between the old and new parties in Bangladesh

At a separate event at the Jatiya Press Club, BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury responded to Yunus’s comments, which he made during a session at the 30th Nikkei Forum in Tokyo on Thursday. At the event, Yunus said that only some politicians want elections this year.

“We don’t want to leave the country with the old institutions remaining as it is. If we need a good job in the reforms, we have to wait for six more months [for the election]. Some opinions let’s get the election done, but it is not all, just one particular party,” he said.

In response to this, Chowdhury claimed that only parties formed after the protests in the country don’t want elections this year. “Only the parties formed after August 5 don’t want elections. At least 52 parties want polls by December. If someone says only one party wants elections, is that a truthful statement? Is it directed at us? What does it imply?”

He insisted that those opposing a December election are “only four or five parties”, not even registered, and lacking public support. “The interim government has no connection with the people. Everyone’s doing whatever they want. More will do so, causing further damage. This cannot continue,” Chowdhury averred.

“Only an elected parliament, accountable to the people, can bring stability. After Sheikh Hasina fled, major changes took place. Any party that fails to recognise this has no future in Bangladesh,” he added. Overall, the tussle between Yunus and BNP continues to remain persistent.