Gono Odhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan on Sunday said that the people want a clear roadmap on elections, reform, and justice, but even after 10 months in office, the interim government has failed to deliver.
He claimed that the government’s “honeymoon period” was over, and now people are waiting for real action.
“If the government fails to respect the people’s mandate, a movement may rise against them,” he warned.
He alleged that the interim government is following the “Hasina model” and wants to stay in power at all costs.
Speaking at a discussion organised by the Rohingya Punorbashon Songram Jatiya Committee at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Rashed Khan said that many political leaders are tired of demanding election reform.
He said former prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave shelter to the Rohingya to use as a “trump card” against the West in 2018, having faced criticism before during the 2014 elections.
The Gono Odhikar Parishad leader claimed that the BNP played a much better role in sending the Rohingya back to their country, referring to actions taken during Ziaur Rahman’s regime.
He went on to say that India has a strict policy on Rohingya entry and claimed that the neighbouring country is pushing them into Bangladesh, which the current interim government has failed to stop.
He also criticised Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, saying that, despite his statement about sending back 180,000 Rohingya, almost 120,000 have entered Bangladesh in recent months.
He said the idea of a “humanitarian corridor” is a threat to the country’s independence and sovereignty.
“Though the government has discussed it positively, public protest has stopped its implementation,” he added.
He suggested that the Rohingyas be trained and sent back to Myanmar, where they can fight to reclaim their land, as neither the Myanmar government nor the Arakan Army is willing to give them space.
Amar Bangladesh Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju was also present at the discussion.