Leaders from various political parties have expressed outrage over what they describe as the creation of a “mobocracy” in the country over the past eleven months under the guise of new political arrangements.
At a discussion titled “Anniversary of the Student-Worker-People’s Uprising: Bangladesh’s Democratic Journey” organised by the Democratic State Council at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Saturday, they accused the government of directly and indirectly endorsing mob violence by branding the uprising as a revolution.
BNP’s International Affairs Co-Secretary Rumeen Farhana stated, “What has been established in these eleven months is a mobocracy. Now, mobs are hired with money. People don’t care whether the prime minister stays in power for 10 or 100 years, or what happens to Article 70 of the constitution – they want security.”
Addressing an adviser, she criticised, “Your achievement this past year is making people feel unsafe, whether carrying ammunition at airports or missiles in public. You’ve dragged the country backward.”
Farhana further alleged that the interim government lacks political figures who understand public sentiment, noting its failure to form an education commission despite widespread demand for reforms. “At least agree on the basics and let an elected government handle the rest. Let the people decide what they want – Bangladeshis are capable of determining their own fate,” she urged.
General Secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party Saiful Haq accused the government of “unleashing mob terrorism under the banner of revolution.” He warned, “If the loot mentality isn’t stopped, ultimate victory will remain elusive. Old fascism must not return in new forms.”
AB Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju lambasted interim advisers for their delayed responses to crises, while National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Dr Ali Riaz stressed institutional reforms to curb authoritarianism: “Executive power must operate under public oversight, not impose decisions.”
Highlighting needed political party reforms, Riaz added, “Fifty-three years of political culture must change – end leader deification and enforce internal accountability.”
The event, chaired by Democratic State Council Convener Sheikh Abdun Noor, also featured speeches from leaders of JSD, BASAD, and other leftist parties, who collectively condemned the erosion of democratic norms.