Sheikh Hasina's Party Slams 'Fascist' Yunus After Poll Announcement: 'Serve Foreign Interests'
Last Updated:
Sheikh Hasina's banned Awami League accused Muhammad Yunus of spreading lies to cover up his failures and accused his government of serving foreign interests.
Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League criticised Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of spreading lies and misinformation during his address to the nation, where he announced that Bangladesh's general elections will be held in April 2026.
After immense pressure from the Army and political parties, Yunus said the next national election will be held in the first half of April 2026. He assured that his government is taking necessary steps to ensure a proper election environment, emphasising that flawed elections have been the main cause of major national crises in Bangladesh.
'We want an election that honours the sacrifices of the martyrs. One with the highest number of voters, candidates, and parties participating. Let this be remembered as the freest and fairest election the nation has seen," he said.
The Awami League strongly condemned his address, saying Yunus was trying to cover up his failures by blaming the previous Awami League government and creating a false narrative of crisis.
'No Public Mandate, Economy In Ruins'
Hasina's party, which was banned from contesting the elections after the former PM was ousted in student-led protests last year, said Bangladesh's economy has deteriorated under Yunus's interim regime, with industries being shut down, investment stalled and unemployment rising.
It accused the interim government of rampant corruption and tax favouritism, including a tax waiver of Tk 666 crore for Yunus himself and tax exemption for Grameen Bank. 'In the name of development, they will hand over important national assets and infrastructure to serve foreign interests," it said.
Furthermore, the Awami League claimed Yunus' government lacked democratic legitimacy and served foreign interests rather than those of the people of Bangladesh. It warned that several interim government members had foreign passports and would leave the country after causing irreversible damage.
'To protect our future, we must act now. There is no alternative to a united struggle by all patriots to save our country from the clutches of these vultures. If we can all stay united and continue this fight, we will, Inshallah, be able to defeat this evil, anti-national force," it said.
What Did Yunus Say In His Speech?
Yunus highlighted the immense public and political interest in Bangladesh's next national election, emphasising the government's role in institutional reform to prevent future crises.
'Hold your candidates and political parties accountable, demand firm pledges that the agreed-upon reforms will be passed in the very first session of the new parliament, without compromise. Demand that they never bargain away the country's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national dignity to any foreign power," he was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.
'Ask them to lead with honesty and transparency, and to reject all forms of corruption, favoritism, extortion, syndicates, and violence," he added, promising to build a 'New Bangladesh'.
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee
Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
tags :
bangladesh Muhammad Yunus Sheikh Hasina
First Published:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Bangladesh: BNP says national elections in April 2026 'not suitable in any way'
Dhaka: In yet another major embarrassment for Bangladesh's interim government, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday rejected Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus' call for holding national elections in April 2026. Yunus on Friday said that the country's next national elections will be held "on a day in April", next year. In a televised speech to the nation on the eve of the festival of Eid al-Adha, Yunus also said that the country's Election Commission will present a detailed roadmap of the election at an "appropriate time". However, various political parties in the country slammed the move within a few hours of Yunus making the announcement. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told local media in Dhaka on Saturday that April is "not suitable in any way" for holding national elections. "April is not the right time for holding polls in Bangladesh. There will be the possibility of extreme heat, storms and rains during the period. And, the time is right after Ramadan... There are public examinations as well," said Alamgir. He mentioned that holding elections in April would mean conducting polling campaigns during the month of Ramadan, which would not be suitable at all. "We think December will be most suitable for polls... We gave our reaction yesterday. We have always demanded that we wanted the election by December, and so was the expectation of the people," he said. During his address on Friday, Yunus also outlined the "achievements" of the Interim Government over the past 10 months and stressed that it has been working on the three-point agenda of justice, reforms, and elections. Earlier, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed had said that holding national elections in the country before December is "very much possible" as completing necessary reforms based on a consensus could take less than a month. "December is far too late. It is possible to hold the election before then. If the reform proposals, excluding those related to constitutional amendments, are accepted through national consensus, they can be implemented in less than a month," Salahuddin was quoted as saying by the local media. Reiterating that the BNP is yet to find any valid argument to justify delaying elections beyond December, Salahuddin further observed: "We are all in favour of democracy and a prompt election to establish the people's right to vote. There is not a single reason that justifies holding the election after December". The interim government led by Yunus has been facing increasing pressure from various political parties to hold elections by the end of this year. Last month, while addressing a rally virtually from London, BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman noted that alongside the reforms issue, the interim government must show "visible preparations" for holding the national elections. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), which will be able to take part in the elections after a recent Supreme Court order, is not explicitly backing a December election date. JeI Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said on Saturday that the nation does not want another "questionable election" and stressed that a credible national election would only be possible if justice, reforms, the July Charter and July Declaration are ensured, along with a level-playing field. "We will cooperate with the Chief Advisor if he seeks our assistance. However, resolving the national crisis is crucial to holding free and fair elections," Rahman noted.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
How latest drive to deport illegal Bangladeshi immigrants stands out
Since Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, Indian authorities have 'pushed back' more than 2,500 allegedly illegal Bangladeshi immigrants across the international border, What distinguishes this drive is the urgency and scale: the government has not only issued a 30-day deadline for verification of illegal immigrants, but identified individuals are now being transported in Indian Air Force aircraft from various states to border outposts. This has, however, raised concerns around due process, humanitarian issues, and pending litigation, especially reports of people being left in the no man's land between India and Bangladesh. Migration between what is now Bangladesh and India dates back to British times. * The colonial administration encouraged settlement in the then sparsely populated Assam by bringing in labourers from Bengal and North India. * Post-Partition, millions of refugees from East Pakistan, mostly Hindus, moved to India. Amid the brutal Pakistani crackdown on Bengalis, some 10 million people, mostly Hindus, sought refuge in India in 1971 alone. * Over the decades, economic migration from Bangladesh to India has continued, with many crossing the border into states like Assam and West Bengal in search of jobs. This influx has led to significant socio-political tension, particularly in Assam. While the India-Bangladesh border is largely fenced today, gaps remain, and illegal migration persists, with Bangladeshi workers visible in metropolitan labour markets across India. There is presently no official or universally accepted figure about the number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India, and estimates have varied widely. In 2004, then MoS (Home) Sriprakash Jaiswal told Parliament that 12 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants resided in India. (This claim was withdrawn following protests by the Assam and West Bengal governments.) Former RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, in a 2016 paper, estimated the number to be more than 15 million, based on comparisons of census data from Bangladesh and India from 1981 to 2011. The same year, MoS (Home) Kiren Rijiju told Parliament that 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were living in India, based on unofficial assessments. The deportation of illegal immigrants has been an enduring part of India's domestic policy, cutting across political lines. The UPA government too deported illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. RPN Singh, who served as MoS (Home) from 2012 to 2014, claimed in 2018 that the Manmohan Singh government had deported 82,000 immigrants. These efforts have further picked up under the Narendra Modi government, driven by both national security concerns and ideological motivations. In 2018, then-BJP president and current Union Home Minister Amit Shah had referred to Bangladeshi immigrants as 'termites'. Since 2018, the Modi government has also pursued a more tech-driven approach to the problem. * That year, it launched the portal to collect the biographic and biometric data of Rohingya immigrants. This was later expanded to include Bangladeshi immigrants as well. * In 2023, the government revamped this portal into the Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP) to capture more detailed profiles of suspected illegal immigrants. States/UTs and the Ministry of External Affairs were given access to the portal, which is used to upload and verify details of suspected illegal immigrants. If verification fails, deportation is initiated with help from the Foreigners' Regional Registration Offices (FRROs). * In 2023, the government also introduced a District Police Module on the Immigration Visa Foreigner Registration Tracking (IVFRT) portal to track overstaying foreigners. * Further, biometric capture infrastructure — fingerprint scanners, cameras, and computers — has been deployed across police stations, detention centres, and Border Out Posts (BOPs) of the BSF. A renewed push, novel strategy While the issue was never truly on the back burner, deportation drives have intensified following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, and the beginning of Operation Sindoor on May 7. Currently, states such as Gujarat, Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan are rounding up identified illegal immigrants and transporting them to border points in Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya. From here, they are 'pushed back' across the border by the Border Security Force (BSF). A senior security official told The Indian Express that such deportations have historically had limited success. 'The border is porous. These people often return,' he said. However, the current operation marks a more coordinated, digitised approach to the problem of illegal migration. With biometric data now captured on the FIP, the government hopes re-entry can be checked. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also instructed authorities issuing Aadhaar, Voter ID, and Ration Card to cross-check applicants against the immigrant database before issuing documents. The MHA has set a 30-day deadline for States and UTs to verify suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. If verification fails, deportation proceedings will follow. An integrated server will support this process, bringing together data from the IVFRT system, the FIP portal, and the India-Myanmar Border Pass System. Some questions remain Questions around due process, humanitarian concerns, and bilateral sensitivities persist. As more people are rounded up and transported to the borders, courts and civil rights groups are likely to scrutinise the legal and ethical contours of this drive, especially in cases involving pending litigation or individuals caught in border limbo. On May 8, Bangladesh sent a diplomatic note to India registering its protest over the issue. Country's Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Tuesday that another such note was in the works. 'We see it (deportation) is happening. It is not feasible to resist physically,' he said, stressing the need for diplomatic and legal processes to be followed in resolving consular issues. The issue has always been diplomatically sensitive. In a 2022 BSF-BGB meeting in Dhaka, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) reportedly told India that illegal immigration from Bangladesh has reduced, largely due to economic improvements. At one point in 2020-21, Bangladesh's per capita income ($1,962) was higher than India's ($1,935) — a data point that complicates the narrative of large-scale economic migration.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
UP: Eid-ul-Azha celebrated amid tight security
Lucknow, Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated across the state on Saturday with people offering namaaz amidst tight security. In the state capital, namaaz was offered at the Lucknow Eidgah under the Shahi Imam of Lucknow, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali. After offering namaaz, prayers were made for the safety of the jawans posted at the borders and safeguarding the country. In a video message, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, on Saturday, reminded the Muslim community to follow the advisory issued by the Islamic Centre of India and sacrifice only those animals on which there are no bans, adding that sacrifice should take place at the designated spots." "The blood of the sacrificed animal should not be released in drains, and the waste should be disposed of as per the arrangements made by the Municipal Corporation. After offering namaaz, one should pray for the development and safety of the nation and also for the Army jawans safeguarding our borders," he said. UP's Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna on Thursday issued directives ensuring the peaceful and safe observance of the festival across the state. The police implemented a multi-pronged strategy, focusing on preventive measures, community engagement and heightened vigilance, with police stations thoroughly reviewing their festival registers to prevent the initiation of any new traditions. Meetings were held with religious leaders, peace committees, civil defence personnel and prominent citizens, in coordination with local magistrates and other relevant departments, to foster coordination and dialogue. Permission for any new traditions related to sacrifice was denied, while a strict ban on the sacrifice of prohibited animals was enforced. Furthermore, coordination was established with municipal corporations and other departments for the proper disposal of remains after sacrifice. The police catalogued all Eid-ul-Azha events and hotspots. Additional police, PAC , and Home Guard forces were strategically deployed under gazetted officers within zones or sectors. Similarly, in Sambhal and Bareilly, the Eid-ul-Azha namaaz was held peacefully amid heavy police deployment. "We had a peace committee meeting for Eid-ul-Azha. Everyone agreed to not sacrifice in public places. We have set up a three-tier security system and we spoke to maulanas, muftis, and representatives of mosques. There was an agreement to not sacrifice animals at public places and 19 designated places were agreed upon for sacrifice," Sambhal District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya told reporters at the Eidgah. In Amethi, prayers were conducted at 367 mosques and Eidgahs, with different timings established to ensure peaceful observance. Superintendent of Police Aparna Rajat Kaushik assured that people were celebrating the festival with great joy while maintaining peace.
