By Taskin Wahed Akash
For years, BNP built its politics on demonising Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League, calling them autocratic, corrupt, and unfit to govern. But reality has exposed a different picture. Since the unlawful toppling of the elected Awami League government and the rise of the illegal โinterim governmentโ under Yunus, the country has witnessed a deeper erosion of rights, widespread political detentions, and a blatant attempt to dismantle democratic institutions.
Now, with elections being delayed, the BNP is beginning to understand what the Awami League warned about: that the Yunus regime is not transitional but transactional. It is not preparing the country for democracy but consolidating a technocratic authoritarianism backed by foreign interests and local elites.
The February deadline for elections is crucial. If missed, BNP faces a political reckoning. Either they stand alone and get devoured next, or they admit that their historic rival is also now a victim of a much darker power play. The lines are shifting. What used to be party rivalry is now about preserving Bangladeshโs political sovereignty. BNP may be forced into relying on Awami Leagueโs grassroots network to sustain a mass movement.ย
BNPโs best chance at pushing back against authoritarianism now depends on the organisational muscle of the Awami League.
To win a war for democracy, you need soldiers. And in Bangladesh, those soldiers still wear the colours of the Awami League.
Taskin Wahed Akash: Writer, activist
English