Left in Bangladesh calls for immediate elections, end to political persecution

The Workers’ Party of Bangladesh also demanded a withdrawal of false cases against left leaders including its president Rashed Khan Menon and their immediate release from prison

October 31, 2024 by Abdul Rahman
President of Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB) and former member of parliament Rashed Khan Menon was arrested in Dhaka on August 22 (Photo via Workers Party Of Bangladesh)

Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB) has called for national elections to be held immediately in the country and for the unconditional release of its president Rashed Khan Menon who has been arrested on “false charges” of murder.

In a statement released following its Polit Bureau meeting last week, the WPB claimed that failing to call for elections now would create a fresh constitutional crisis in the country. It also demanded that all political parties, including the Awami League, must be allowed to participate in the elections to put “the country back to constitutional order as soon as possible.”

As per Bangladesh’s constitution, an election must be held within three months after the dissolution of the parliament. The last parliament in the country was dissolved in early August following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina was forced to resign within months of being elected for the fourth consecutive term in the national elections held in January after agitation for reforms in the quota in government jobs turned violent in July. According to some estimates, more than 600 people were killed during the protests.

However, the interim government has expressed its inability to hold the election within the stipulated time period and claimed that it would be “wrong” to hold elections before political reforms are carried out in the country. Mohammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government has, however, failed to specify the reforms needed and give a timeline for the next elections.

Meanwhile, the administration under the interim government has claimed even if the process to hold a new election starts today, it may take another year to complete it.

The WPB and other major political formations in the country have warned that a significant delay in holding elections may lead to popular anger which will not be not be good for the country.

All parties must be allowed to participate in the democratic process

Meanwhile, the interim government has also expressed its intentions to ban the country’s major political party the Awami League and all other “like minded” parties for the next parliamentary elections.

The Awami League was founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, considered as the founder of the nation. The party has ruled for most of the independent history of Bangladesh since 1971. However, ever since the popular agitation in July against its government led by Hasina, several leading members of the party and its sympathizers have been arrested and persecuted by the interim government. A large number of its workers have also been killed and party offices have been vandalized.

The interim government has accused that the victory of Awami League in the last four elections was a result of fraud. It has termed all the elections since 2008 as “illegal.” The reason cited for the intention to ban Awami League’s former allies is their alleged “silent support” to its manipulation in those elections, Daily Star reported.

Earlier this week, Yunus termed Awami League a “fascist party” claiming it has no place in a democratic society.

Two left parties, WPB and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) were part of the Awami League led coalition. Menon (81) and president of JSD, Hasanul Haq (77) had also served as ministers in the Hasina government between 2014 and 2019.

Both Menon and Haq have been in jail for months now. They have been charged for murder of protesters during the quota reform agitation despite neither of them being part of the Hasina government at the time.

Left parties have denied the interim government’s allegations. Instead the left argues that the cases against their leaders are politically motivated. They have alleged that the religious right in the country has used the quota agitation to marginalize all progressive forces by filing false cases against their leaders and staging assaults on their workers and offices and demanded the end of their political persecution.