The Awami League has fired a broadside at Muhammad Yunus’s caretaker government, labeling its planned referendum a fraudulent scheme to dupe Bangladeshis. Set for February 12 alongside general elections, the vote on secret reform packages is decried as unconstitutional and a stain on the republic’s legacy.
Party spokespersons argue that the interim setup, born from the violent ouster of the elected administration in July 2024, lacks any public mandate. What began as protests, they claim, morphed into a meticulously planned insurrection fueled by foreign money, radical Islamists, and military insiders—installing Yunus against the people’s will.
Central to their outrage is the opacity surrounding 30 reform proposals. ‘This isn’t a referendum; it’s theater,’ Awami League declared, invoking constitutional Article 7’s core principle that sovereignty resides with the populace. Without full disclosure, seeking public opinion is not just undemocratic—it’s a profound betrayal.
Imagine a voter at the ballot box, urged to say yes or no to invisible changes. Such a scenario, the party contends, tramples information rights, transparency norms, and participatory democracy. The regime’s every move, they say, chips away at constitutional safeguards, steering Bangladesh toward oblivion.
Awami League paints a grim picture: an illegal apparatus, propped up by extremists and external forces, now hell-bent on dismantling the democratic order. Hiding reform details while pushing a vote isn’t mere illegality—it’s outright deceit against the masses.
As election day looms, this clash underscores deeper fractures in Bangladesh’s body politic. Will the referendum legitimize Yunus’s rule, or expose it as the undemocratic farce Awami League alleges? The coming weeks promise high-stakes drama in Dhaka’s turbulent arena.