Awami League and BNP singing the same tune on interim government, says Nahid Islam

The ongoing debate over the formation of an interim government has taken an interesting turn, with Information and Broadcasting Adviser Nahid Islam pointing out that the BNP‍‍`s comments on the issue are starting to sound a lot like the stance of the Awami League. 

He made this observation in an interview with BBC Bangla on Friday.

His comments come as tensions rise between the BNP and the student movement, which has been pushing for fair elections, and as the nation continues to discuss the upcoming national elections.

In a BBC Bangla interview on Wednesday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir spoke about the need for a neutral government to oversee the elections if the current government cannot be impartial. He also suggested that students forming political parties should step away from the government. 

Nahid Islam reacted to these statements by posting a status on his Facebook page, drawing a parallel to the former 1/11 government.

Adviser Nahid Islam, when asked about the interim government, shared, 

“We see the interim government as neutral. BNP needs to clarify why they don’t see it that way.”

He went on to add, 

“It seems like BNP thinks the government was formed only for elections. But government did not change through elections – it changed through public uprising.”

Nahid Islam also referred to a recent post by Mohammad Ali Arafat, a member of the Awami League‍‍`s Central Executive Committee, who stated that the current government is “illegitimate and unelected” and that a neutral government is needed to conduct the elections. 

Nahid expressed concern that these statements could create confusion, as they seemed to reflect the same tone as the BNP.

Earlier on Friday, the Awami League shared a post on its Facebook page quoting Mohammad Ali Arafat, in which he claimed that the next election will not take place under the current government and that it would have to be held under a new caretaker government.

Concluding his remarks, Nahid Islam said, 

“I don’t think that BNP made these statements with any specific purpose, but their tone is certainly aligning with what the Awami League is saying.”