Special Correspondent //

Everything was going on normally since the fall of the Hasina government on August 5. However, political tension is suddenly being felt. It started around the statement of BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. After Rizvi said several things about Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the party issued a statement in protest. Then the party responded to Jamaat-e-Islami’s statement on BNP’s verified Facebook page.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made strong comments targeting Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami after paying homage to former President Ziaur Rahman at Chandrima Udyan in the capital on Sunday.

Addressing Jamaat, he said that many people have seized banks by becoming successors of S Alam, who seized them during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure. They are tarnishing the name of BNP by saying big words. A party has occupied terminals in neighborhoods and done various things by grabbing tenders.

Rizvi said, after August 5, the people have seen the embezzlement of a political party. The people know those who cut the veins of their feet. Jamaat, which opposed 1971, is trying to fish in murky waters.

This senior BNP leader further said, not only neighboring countries are spreading propaganda, but two or three political parties in the country want to fish in murky waters. He said, those who opposed 1971 have tried to fish in murky waters.

Rizvi said, they do politics with Islam. Islam does not mean repeatedly committing hypocrisy. BNP has never backed down from its commitment to the people. From 1971 to August 5, BNP never bowed its head on the issue of democracy. Rizvi alleged that Jamaat wants to forgive Sheikh Hasina to improve relations with India.

‘They want to fish in very murky waters. What are your achievements in 1971? You opposed 1971. The glory of 71 and 90 belongs to BNP. Didn’t you go to Ershad’s cronies’ elections that day in alliance with Sheikh Hasina? You do politics with Islam. Islam means not to be hypocritical,’ said Rizvi.

After that, discussions and criticisms started in political circles and on social media. That night, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan said in a statement that the statement made by BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi about Jamaat-e-Islami that ‘Jamaat wants to forgive Hasina to improve relations with India’ is misleading, baseless and politically motivated.

He also said in the statement that Ruhul Kabir Rizvi pointed to Jamaat-e-Islami and said, ‘After August 5, the people have seen the usurpation of a political party, the people know those who cut their veins, the Jamaat, which opposed 1971, is trying to fish in murky waters.’

Such statements by Rizvi have been being circulated for the past few decades. The people have long rejected all these statements about cutting blood, fishing in murky water, and opposing 71. It is not clear to the people what Rizvi wants to achieve by uttering these words against Jamaat. Jamaat has never done politics of cutting blood and fishing in murky water. His statement that he does politics with Islam, Islam does not mean repeatedly committing hypocrisy, pointing to Jamaat, is nothing but an extreme lie, said Rafiqul Islam Khan.

The statement mentioned that Jamaat does not do politics with ‘Islam’. Jamaat does politics on the basis of Islamic ideals. Jamaat-e-Islami has never committed hypocrisy. Jamaat has fought uncompromisingly for the rights of the people of the country, the rule of law, justice, human rights, and the right to vote. Jamaat has never resorted to hypocrisy. Rizvi must be aware that the unity that was formed in 2018 to avoid the alliance established with people of different views and come to power is not hypocrisy with the nation? The people have not forgotten the history of this political decline.

The statement further states that Jamaat-e-Islami’s politics are against Indian hegemony and fascism. The entire nation has accepted this role of Jamaat. And this is probably why Rizvi’s anger has arisen. We are calling on all concerned to refrain from such misleading and slanderous politics.

After that, BNP responded to Jamaat-e-Islami’s statement. The party’s verified Facebook page added a picture of Jamaat Ameer’s candidacy in the election and said that in the 2018 election, Jamaat negotiated and secured 22 seats from the alliance. In that election, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman (Jamaat Ameer) himself also ran as a candidate with the paddy sheaf symbol. So with whom is the alliance? And with whom did Ameer talk about hypocrisy?
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