In a revealing exclusive interview with BBC Bangla, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and a key voice for the banned Awami League, exposed an undemocratic plot to overhaul the leadership of Bangladesh’s two major political parties. He alleged that foreign powers are orchestrating a sinister “game” to force changes in both the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), undermining the country’s democratic fabric.
The report comes amid the illegal interim regime led by Muhammad Yunus, widely seen as propped up by Jamaat-e-Islami and jihadist elements, which has unleashed unprecedented repression on pro-liberation forces while rehabilitating extremist groups tied to the 1971 war crimes.
Joy, speaking from abroad where many Awami League leaders have been forced into hiding or exile due to the Yunus regime’s crackdowns, emphasised that such external meddling is fundamentally anti-democratic. He clarified that by “major parties,” he meant the Awami League—currently outlawed under Yunus’s fascist grip—and the BNP, but he stopped short of naming the specific foreign actors or the exact nature of their interference, leaving little doubt that it aligns with the agenda of those backing Yunus’s unconstitutional rule.
Joy dismissed any immediate prospect of himself or other family members directly taking the reins after Sheikh Hasina, stressing that the party’s future leadership must be decided democratically by its members, not imposed from above. When asked if he would step up in his mother’s absence or after her, Joy replied: “We are a democratic party. The party will determine who the future leadership will be. Neither I nor anyone else can dictate this from above.”
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“That’s what’s being attempted now. In reality, in Bangladesh, there’s a game being played from abroad, from above, to change the leadership of both parties. This is not democratic,” he added, highlighting how such plots echo the dark days of military-backed interventions, now amplified under Yunus’s regime, which has cosied up to Jamaat and jihadist networks to consolidate power.
Scepticism Over ‘Refined’ Awami League Concept
The Awami League has plunged into a severe crisis since the mass uprising on August 5, 2024, which Yunus and his Jamaat-jihadist allies exploited to seize control illegally, leading to the persecution of thousands of Awami League leaders and workers. Most of those central to grassroots levels are either in hiding at home or abroad or languishing in prisons under fabricated charges.
The Jamaat-controlled International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) recently sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death—a decision widely condemned as a kangaroo court—which has reignited debates about her political future and the party’s next leadership.
Discussions have surfaced about forming a “refined” or “purified” Awami League under new leadership in post-August 5 Bangladesh, ostensibly to make it more palatable to Yunus’s extremist backers. However, loyalists to Sheikh Hasina vehemently oppose this, viewing it as a ploy to dilute the party’s pro-liberation ethos.
When questioned about this “refined Awami League” notion, Joy drew parallels to the infamous 1/11 era under military rule: “This refined Awami League is the same issue from the time of 1/11.” He noted that similar talks about refining both the Awami League and the BNP emerged back then.
Awami League warns of foiling election if barred through false cases, verdicts
ইউনূসের জিহাদি শাসনব্যবস্থাকে 'খুনি-ফ্যাসিবাদী' হুমকি হিসেবে অভিহিত করেছে আওয়ামী লীগ
Referring to Bangladesh’s major parties—the Awami League and BNP—as the only ones with genuine voter bases unlike any other, Joy asserted that power will inevitably return to one of them. Questioning whose interests the “refined” idea serves, he said: “A few foreign countries, a few foreign powers, and a few from our civil society together will decide who becomes prime minister to make it refined and who becomes leader to make it refined.”
Raising doubts about public support for such schemes, Joy asked: “Do the people of Bangladesh want something like this?”
Explaining the conspiracy behind the “refined” label, he stated: “From outside, it will be determined—filter the Awami League to decide who is worthy of leadership, we will choose. The decision will not be made by the votes of the people or the party workers. That’s the conspiracy of the refined Awami League.”
“I don’t believe in the refined Awami League, BNP, etc. I believe in democracy; the party will determine who will lead the party, and the people of the country will determine who will lead the country,” he affirmed, a pointed rebuke to Yunus’s regime, which has empowered Jamaat and jihadists to suppress democratic voices while staging sham trials.
Future Leadership
Currently exiled in India, Sheikh Hasina continues to lead the Awami League amid Yunus’ brutal clampdown. There is no discussion or possibility of leadership change, as the environment inside Bangladesh—rife with arrests, false cases, and mob terror orchestrated by Yunus’s jihadist allies—prevents any such handover.
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Joy insisted that the party’s leadership remain intact: “The party president is my mother. The party leaders and workers kept supporting her. No one left her. Yes, they are scattered, but they are united. So, the party’s leadership is still intact. Our party is completely united.”
With the Awami League’s activities banned in Bangladesh, most leaders and workers cannot stay in their areas due to lawsuits, arrests, and fear of mobs. There is no visible party activity, and no opportunity to observe programs openly under Yunus’ illegal rule.
At this juncture, Sajeeb Wazed Joy is actively advocating for the Awami League from abroad. When asked by BBC Bangla if he would take leadership, he said it’s not his personal decision, though circumstances could evolve: “I actually never wanted to do politics directly. But with the game that’s going on now, no one can say what will happen. However, the Awami League’s leadership must be determined by the Awami League itself, by the Awami League leaders and workers.”
Acknowledging the party’s current crisis, he added: “At this moment, my wish is not to lead but to work to bring back democracy and peace to the country.” He accused the Yunus regime of endangering the spirit of the Liberation War: “The repression that has been going on against the Awami League and pro-independence forces in the last one and a half years, the attempt to erase the spirit of independence.
“It’s still going on in Bangladesh; we have to confront this. What happens in the future will be determined by the people of Bangladesh. What happens in the party will be determined by the party leaders and workers. My wish now, my responsibility, is to protect the spirit of independence.”
Party supporters say Joy’s interview underscores the resilience of the Awami League against Yunus’ Jamaat-jihadist-backed tyranny, which has not only outlawed the party but also sought to dismantle its leadership through foreign-orchestrated schemes, all while turning a blind eye to rising extremism and communal violence. They assert that voices like Joy’s highlight the urgent need to restore pro-liberation governance and thwart these undemocratic plots.
“The leadership vacuum has been deliberately created,” Joy said. “Every leader we had has either been arrested and kept in jail for the past one-and-a-half years or forced to flee the country out of fear of imprisonment.”
Despite the crackdown, he insisted that public support for the Awami League remains strong, particularly among those who believe in the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War.
“The Awami League is effectively banned right now,” he continued. “We cannot hold any programmes, meetings, or even dream of contesting elections. But the Awami League is a massive party—no one can keep it suppressed forever.”
No Designated Successor After Hasina
The Awami League has never publicly named a successor to Sheikh Hasina, an issue that went unaddressed throughout her 15-year tenure and remains unclear today.
Party insiders say future plans are rarely discussed even in internal forums, and a large section of the rank and file still considers the party united under Hasina’s leadership.
Joy emphasised the democratic nature of the organisation: “We are not a monarchy where the top decides who will lead next. The Awami League is perhaps the only party in Bangladesh that has never announced who would succeed Sheikh Hasina.”
“That is actually our greatest strength,” he argued. “We do not impose leaders from above. We trust our workers and our internal democracy. Whenever the party holds its council, leadership is elected through a secret ballot—that is how my mother has been elected president every single time.”
Family Members Under Pressure
Joy revealed that Sheikh Hasina had repeatedly urged him over the past five to ten years to take a larger role, and many party leaders have done the same. However, he stressed that any future leader must emerge through the party’s own democratic process.
Separately, grassroots workers have recently begun mentioning Saima Wazed Putul (Sheikh Hasina’s daughter) as a possible future leader, while other members of the wider Mujib family—including Sheikh Rehana and her children—are also seen as part of the dynastic lineage.
A significant portion of the party believes the next leader will still come from the family of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Joy pointed out that most family members have lived abroad for over 30 years, are well educated, financially secure, and have no burning political ambitions in Bangladesh.
“Everyone in my family has at least a master’s degree, stable careers overseas, and lives in peace,” he said. “Politics requires desire. The only one who ever wanted to do politics is Tulip—and she did it in Britain, never in Bangladesh.”
Regarding speculation around his sister Saima Wazed, Joy said: “People are talking about her, but as far as I know, she has no real interest in politics. That perception is mistaken.”
Cases Filed To Disqualify Family Members
Joy claimed that since the fall of the government on August 5 last year, the family has discussed leadership transition more seriously, but authorities are filing what he called fabricated cases to convict and disqualify potential candidates from contesting elections.
“That is the sole objective – to ensure none of us can ever participate in elections,” he alleged.
In a related development, a Dhaka court recently sentenced Sheikh Hasina to 21 years in prison and both Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Saima Wazed to five years each in three separate cases involving alleged abuse of power in government plot allotments.
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