Former Indian envoy to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla has called for fair and inclusive elections, which are pivotal for the transition to democracy, but are hindered due to opposition by the anti-liberation Jamaat-Shibir forces.
Speaking at a seminar at Delhi’s India International Centre this week, Shringla, also a Rajya Sabha MP, warned of the emergence of Jamaat-Shibir in Bangladesh after the fall of the Awami League government last year, saying that they are part of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He reminded the audience of Jamaat-e-Islami’s role during the 1971 Liberation War, when it was accused of atrocities, including genocide against Hindus, in collaboration with the Pakistan Army.
“They have blood on their hands, and they are also a part of the Muslim Brotherhood. The same Muslim Brotherhood that exists in Egypt, Turkey and different parts of the world,” he added.
Shringla made the scathing remarks after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor congratulated Jamaat-Shibir for its victory in the Dhaka University Central Studentsโ Union (DUCSU) elections for the first time since the country’s independence.
The radical Islamist party, unpopular for violent extremism and cutting of tendons in recent years and the massacre of the Bangladeshi intellectuals during the war, also won most of the posts in the elections at Jahangirnagar University, held on September 11.
As per admissions of the leaders, Chhatra Shibir was the key planner of the student-led anti-quota movement, which later turned into a one-point movement amid mindless violence targeting the police. Since the fall of the Awami League government, Jamaat-Shibir members have established a reign of terror through mob violence across the country while enjoying impunity.
The radical Islamist party is opposing the next elections as per the Constitution and pressing for the proportional representation system to bag more seats in parliament. They are also making public statements in favour of establishing the Shariah Law if voted to power.
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