With just two weeks until Bangladesh’s national elections on February 12, the political atmosphere in Dhaka has turned combustible. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has accused Jamaat-e-Islami of launching a vicious campaign of lies and religious baiting to dupe voters.
Wednesday’s press briefing by BNP’s Mahdi Amin, advisor to the party chair and election committee spokesperson, laid bare the charges. Jamaat, he said, is peddling ‘fascist propaganda’ by falsely painting BNP as corruption incarnate, a narrative Amin dismissed as election-time fiction far removed from reality.
He highlighted Jamaat’s complicity in the past: ‘From 2001 to 2006, under BNP rule, Jamaat enjoyed power positions yet uttered not a word against graft.’ Quoting The Dhaka Tribune, Amin added, ‘This is their recycled fascist strategy—pure political deceit.’
Amin alleged Jamaat is weaponizing faith, dangling heavenly rewards, Quranic oaths, and cash to influence ballots. He questioned their moral standing: ‘Vote-buyers preaching against corruption? Unthinkable.’
These moves, he stressed, breach election rules and erode democratic trust. BNP demanded the Election Commission act swiftly against manipulative tactics poisoning public will.
The party pledges relentless exposure of Jamaat’s maneuvers. BNP chief Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, campaigning in Thakurgaon-1, fired a veiled shot at Jamaat during a rally at BD High School Ground. ‘Don’t hand the nation’s reins to 1971 war collaborators who backed Pakistani occupiers till the last moment,’ he cautioned, as reported by The Daily Star.
‘Our Bangladesh was born from resisting Pakistan’s tyranny. We must safeguard that 1971 legacy—it’s our very identity,’ Fakhrul urged supporters. The escalating feud signals deepening rifts ahead of a fiercely contested vote.