Rashed Khan, political assistant to the prime minister, Awami League is gaining the courage to stage protest marches because of Jamaat-e-Islami.
He noted that the Awami League, whose political activities are currently banned, staged a protest in Dhaka’s Gulshan, possibly through secret contact with Jamaat.
Rashed recalled that in 1996, Jamaat joined hands with the Awami League to agitate against the BNP government and argued that once again the party is emboldened to protest because of Jamaat.
He made the remarks on Saturday morning while virtually joining the inauguration of the government’s three‑month dengue prevention programme in Jhenaidah, and later speaking to reporters after a dengue awareness rally.
“Jamaat leaders are saying they have no objection if the Awami League returns to politics. But we want to make it clear that the people of this country will no longer accept Awami League’s politics,” he also said.
The prime minister’s aide further said the BNP led the anti‑autocracy movement in the 1990s and the July 2024 mass uprising. Leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations sacrificed their lives, he added, stressing that BNP wants to keep all anti‑fascist forces united. By contrast, Jamaat and the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) have created divisions among anti‑fascist groups.
Earlier, he joined a dengue awareness rally organised by the Jhenaidah district administration. District BNP president MA Majid, vice‑president Munshi Kamal Azad Pannu, Anwarul Islam Badsha, joint secretary Abdul Majid Biswas and other BNP leaders and activists were present.
