BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said their party was not invited to the national rally organised by Jamaat-e-Islami at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.
“We have been asked why no one of us went to the event in Dhaka. How can we go if we are not invited?” he said while speaking at a seminar in the Banani area of the capital.
He also said even if an invitation had been extended, it would not necessarily mean the party would have attended.
Meanwhile, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told the media that only the parties which support the ‘proportional representation (PR)’ system were invited to the rally.
Another senior Jamaat leader said since BNP is strongly against the PR system, inviting them would have created an uncomfortable situation for both sides.
BNP and Jamaat were political allies for over two decades since 1999. They even ran a coalition government together from 2001-2006.
However, in December 2022, the alliance was officially dissolved through mutual understanding.
Although the two parties joined the anti-government movement before the 7 January 2024 national election, Jamaat later moved away from BNP’s simultaneous movement after the polls.
Since August 5 last year, political analysts think Jamaat has been trying to present itself as BNP’s main rival in the political field.
Tensions between BNP and Jamaat have spiked in recent months, especially ahead of the next general election.
Jamaat organised the national rally to press home its 7-point demand, including holding of the next national election under a PR system.
