Yunus mulls to form govt without Hasina's Awami League amid pressure to call elections in Bangladesh: Report

Bangladesh’s Interim Advisor Muhammad Yunus is reportedly contemplating forming a government without the presence of leaders from ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. The Nobel laureate has been facing pressure from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to call an early election in the country after violent protests toppled the Hasina administration and left Bangladesh in shambles.

According to a report from The Economic Times, Yunus has been exploring the idea of forming an interim government which will comprise several political parties minus the Awami League. As per the report, the interim advisor is also toying with the idea of luring some of the AL members to leave the party.

The speculations are in line with the proclamations made by Yunus in the past. In an interview with the Financial Times in October, Yunus said that there is “no place for Hasina’s fascist Awami League in Bangladesh politics”.

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What is Yunus planning to do next?

Citing some unnamed experts, The Economic Times reported Yunus is planning to form a government comprising leaders from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist parties and figures who are opposed to Awami League. What is concerning is the fact that the leaders of these parties may not have a positive outlook towards India.

Ties between India and Bangladesh reached an all-time low after New Delhi raised concerns over the plight of Hindus in the neighboring nation. The issues were raised after several Hindu temples and Hindu neighborhoods were vandalized, with the Yunus administration not even batting an eyelid.

Interestingly, Yunus’s experiment is not new for Bangladesh. In the 1970s, Gen Ziaur Rahman gathered anti-AL and anti-India leaders to create BNP. Later Gen HM Ershad [formed the] Jatiya party after taking over power.

However, the experimentation is coming at a time when Yunus is facing pressure from political parties to hold elections. BNP is mulling to cash in on the anti-AL “sentiments” instead of delaying elections as it feels delay will dent their “popularity,” The Economic Times reported.

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As per the report, the idea of Yunus and his supporters however is to adopt a minus 2 formula and exclude AL and BNP despite the fact that the latter played a key role in ousting Hasina.

How Awami League has been left behind from the very beginning

Hasina’s party has been cornered right from the moment Yunus started his “nation re-building” process. While speaking to FT, the 84-year-old openly declared his disdain for the party. “In the short run, definitely she has no place - the Awami League doesn’t have a place - in Bangladesh,” he told the British daily.

“They controlled the people, they controlled the [political] machinery, they controlled the institutions to enhance their interest. No fascist party should be in existence in a democratic system,” Yunus furthered. The assertion can be seen with the fact that Yunus did not add any members from Hasina’s party in the interim cabinet.

On Wednesday, Yunus spoke to several political parties, seeking suggestions on how to deal with the bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh. The meeting however did not include the Awami League and its allies. The meeting also excluded Hasina’s allies Jatiyo Party of the late General Hossein Mohammed Ershad. Following the meeting, advisor of law affairs Asif Nazrul said that the meeting did not include “fascist parties”.

“Apart from the fascist Awami League government and their allies, all political parties of Bangladesh participated in the meeting. There were differences of opinions among us but we were united in our approach to safeguard independence, sovereignty and honor of Bangladesh,” Nazrul told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting was held ahead of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Dhaka, which is scheduled to take place on December 9. Misri will be visiting the country for Foreign Office Consultations during which he is expected to raise India’s security concerns.

With inputs from agencies.