Bangladesh: BNP accuses Jamaat of trying to create ‘state within state’

Dhaka: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), on Sunday, accused radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami of attempting to establish “state within the state” through its actions in the country’s political landscape and universities, media reported.

“Has the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union Vice President been given magistracy power to decide which shop on the campus is legal or illegal? He fined a shop Tk (Bangladeshi taka) 3,000 and then deposited the money into Baitul Mal (the party’s fund). What is the legal basis for this?” Dhaka Tribune quoted the BNP senior Joint Secretary General, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, as saying during a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club.

The BNP leader said that in any university, it is the administration’s duty to monitor who operates shops or markets within the campus, and student leaders can raise an alarm if the peaceful and orderly environment of the campus is disrupted.

“Instead, you are imposing fines and that money is going into Jamaat’s party fund. This is a very serious matter. We have always seen that their activities are creating a ‘state within the state’, and we are now observing such an environment,” the BNP leader added.

Rizvi also criticised Jamaat’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, for supplying iron beds to university halls, questioning whether such responsibility should lie with a political party or the student union.

“If students have demands, they should bargain or negotiate with the vice-chancellor. If there is a shortage of accommodation, beds or other facilities, it is the administration’s duty to address it,” the BNP leader said.

“This is very strange. It undermines the legal foundation of the state and goes against the proper functioning of the university. Are you running an orphanage that you provide iron beds? Will you also provide dining tables for food? These kinds of actions are a very bad sign, in our view,” he added.

He lamented that media outlets fail to highlight the misdeeds of Jamaat leaders and activists, while allegations against the BNP are widely reported.

Rizvi also claimed that the media and social media often accuse BNP of extortion, sand lifting or stone theft, while it never reports Jamaat leaders’ involvement in offences, including cases of sexual harassment or abuse of women.

The parties that earlier collaborated with country’s interim chief advisor Muhammad Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by former PM Sheikh Hasina, are now at loggerheads.

IANS