August 5 was a historic day for Bangladesh for more reasons than one. The Awami League (AL), the party whose cause was a cornerstone in Bangladesh's history, was ousted by the masses.

Since independence, political turmoil has been part of narratives closely related to Bangladesh. One of the factors which worked in the AL's favour, from the time the party assumed responsibility in 2009, was that it was regarded as the most progressive and liberal party to have gained power following liberation. At that point in time, AL's values struck a chord with the secular middle-class Bangladeshi. The preceding regimes association with elements such as the military, fundamentalism, and state-centric politics aided in this regard.

Fast forward to 2024, and one finds that the AL-led 14-party alliance's rule is being labelled "fascist."

The AL regime has been somewhat of a conundrum. The Perspective Plan of Bangladesh 2041 (PP 2041), which was published in 2020, envisioned to build on economic advancements and enhance the lives of people. The AL accommodated more public-private partnerships within the media world than any other party before and oversaw the widespread introductions of leading social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Indeed, the regime looked outwards and allowed creative media productions to be released, which did not always comply with the more conservative National Broadcast Policy of 2014. Accordingly, the party is largely responsible for digitalising a new generation of Bangladeshis, many of whom have smartphones and global aspirations today and took to the streets during the recent protests. Student coordinators such as Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud are surely part of that generation and are, in fact, products of "Digital Bangladesh."

"Digital Bangladesh" was a pillar that supported the party's return to the centre in 2009 and represented its defiance of right-wing politics. AL's reformist approaches resonated with the masses in the context of globalisation and the interrelatedness of international networks in the 21st century. Their alliance with left-wing parties enabled the AL to stay in power and inspire many in the country. But, as it has transpired, the 14-party alliance seems to have paved the way for more dreams than stairs to reach those ambitions.

The recent movement portrayed the angst and frustration of the people from various sectors in Bangladesh, including journalism. The protests that began in the first week of July should be credited for capturing on-the-ground reactions. The mass killings, detentions, disappearances and violence against unarmed protestors that took place during this movement truly called into question the ethos of AL's political mandate. Over 400 people have lost their lives during the quota reform movement between July 16 and August 4, with some claiming that the number may well be understated. It has also been put forward that hospital records have been tampered with and bodies hidden, further putting into question just how many people have sacrificed their lives to bring an end to AL's rule.

Students have always been integral to the political narrative of Bangladesh. The fall of the Ershad regime was not brought about only by workers, but students as well, who endeavoured to take the nation forward on the path of democracy. Students again played their part in 2008 and 2013, when the Shahbagh Protests signalled their support for secular and not communal politics. In 2024, students took a stance once against the fascist practices of the Awami regime.

The tragic reality is that the AL committed to preserving democracy in the country, but backed the said promise by fascist means. The quota reform movement, which eventually led to the AL government's end, stemmed from opposition to fascist practices which often granted AL supporters, activists, and leaders the license to terrorise communities around the country. Throughout its rule, the former ruling party publicly branded opposition parties, such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and its allies as being fundamentalist and in conflict with the progressive agenda of the party.

While AL's statement may well be true when considering the realities of grassroots politics and the history of BNP and its allies, the Awami League's ideology also correlated with its globalist persuasions. The AL attained success in this sphere and was able to, for a period since 2009, be the flagbearer of the identity of the modern Bangladeshi. But, at present the premise of AL is being questioned and it remains to be seen how that plays out.

In essence, what the masses including the youths of Bangladesh have conveyed through this movement is that they are averse to right-wing politics in general, and both AL and BNP are considered part of that category today. This is very important to consider as we eventually transition to political-administrative rule again. Only time will tell whether progressive politics really do see the light of day in Bangladesh and who will be the leading stakeholders of the future. Meanwhile, the appointment of Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus as the chief of the interim government seems to be a step in the right direction.        

Nihad Nowsher works in business development.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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The Awami League yesterday decided not to field party candidates in any local government polls as a measure to stop infighting between AL leaders.

The infighting worsened after the party decided to nominate candidates in the recently held national election and allowed their party colleagues to compete against them.

The new decision will be effective in the polls to Cumilla and Mymensingh city corporations, which are slated for March 9, said sources.

No candidates will get the party symbol "boat". 

The decision was made at an emergency meeting of AL Central Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, at the Gono Bhaban. AL President Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting.

The ruling party convened the meeting to discuss the way out of the intra-party feuds.

As the BNP and some other parties boycotted the polls, the party adopted a strategy to make the election appear participatory and to increase turnout. This ultimately led to violence between AL leaders in many places.

According to insiders, at the beginning of the meeting, Hasina asked party leaders to come up their recommendations on how to minimise the infighting and party's role in upcoming elections to upazila parishads, which will be held in phases. The polls are likely to begin in March.

AL Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim started first with his proposal for not providing party electoral symbol in local government elections.

He also recommended holding extended meetings in the districts where AL's internal feuds are intense and said the party should take all-out measures so that the infighting does not intensify further, said sources.

Almost all other party leaders echoed Nasim.

Some of them also suggested that the government take stern action against the arsonists to stop the recurrence of arson attacks, said sources.

At the one stage of the meeting, Hasina, also the prime minister, brought up the US presidential election and said the presidential election between George W Bush and Al Gore was questionable, said meeting insiders.

She said Donald Trump also did not recognise Joe Biden's victory.

Those who are preaching good elections to Bangladesh are mum on the issues of the US presidential election, Hasina said, according to meeting sources.

At the end of the meeting, AL chief Hasina decided to take "boat" out of the local government polls.

The AL started fielding candidates for the local body polls with its electoral symbol "boat" from 2015 after five laws related to union parishads, upazila parishads, municipalities and city corporations were amended, allowing party-backed candidates in local government bodies.

The meeting also assigned eight divisional committees to meet the leaders of the districts where there are intra-party feuds. It also decided to hold extended meetings there to resolve the problem.

While briefing reporters about the outcome of the meeting, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the party would not allocate "boat" to any candidates in upazila parishad elections.

He, however, said the final decision would be made at a joint meeting of party's local government and parliamentary nomination boards.

The interim government will bar the Awami League and the like-minded  parties from participating in political activities, said the chief adviser's office yesterday.

"Those who had taken part in the last three elections and come to parliament illegally deceived the people, and the interim government will of course put obstacles to their political participation," said Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to the chief adviser.

"You will see how these barriers will come into effect. It has a legal aspect and it has an administrative aspect -- you will see it soon. These things will become clearer when the election process starts."

Mahfuj was briefing journalists after talks with 10 political parties.

On a query about the possibility of banning the AL and its allies, he said  this will be decided upon discussions with different political parties.

"The government will not take the decision unilaterally."

At the dialogue with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, some parties yesterday demanded banning the AL and its allies or at least keeping them from taking part in the next national election.

Jatiya Party and other AL allies have not been invited to the talks.

Mahfuj said the government is not inviting the AL's allies as those parties provided "silent support and participated in the illegal elections".

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"The interim government has made it clear that those parties were allies of fascism and consented to genocide -- they took a stance directly against the people. Similar views were expressed by the political parties."

About constituting the Election Commission, he said the government will soon form a search committee to appoint a new chief election commissioner and other election commissioners.

Discussions on election-related issues including voter list preparation will go on in parallel with the work of the reform commissions.

During the dialogue with 10 political parties yesterday, the issues of election, reforms, AL's financial crimes and the trial of those who enabled the mass killings in July and August were discussed, said Mahfuj, who was present at the meetings.

At the talks, the chief adviser assured the parties of fair prices of essentials, improvement in law and order and stability in the garment sector.

Also at the briefing, Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser, said the government is investigating how the AL leaders and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina managed to flee the country.

There was no government from August 5 to 8, and the police were on strike for about a week. As a result, many AL leaders have managed to flee.

"We tried our best to arrest them. We are still trying to arrest those who are in Bangladesh and involved in the genocide."

Asked about the investigation into those who assisted Hasina to flee, he said the probe is ongoing.

About the exclusion of controversial advisers and expansion of the advisory council, Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary, said: "Such proposals have been received from several political parties. The chief adviser carefully listened to the advice of the political parties. He will inform everyone in this regard following certain procedures."

Meanwhile, during their dialogue with Yunus, political parties also pressed the government to hold the next national election very soon after completing the ongoing reform works.

They demanded the interim government control the price hike of essentials and law and order.

Leaders of Gonoforum, Liberal Democratic Party, Jatiya Mukti Council, Jatiya Gonofront, 12 Party Alliance, Ganatantrik Bam Oikya, Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), Bangladesh Labour Party and Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal held talks with Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna.

Yunus's series of dialogues with political parties started with a nine-member delegation of the Gonoforum led by the party's Emeritus President Dr Kamal Hossain.

"We want the election to be held very soon after the completion of reforms. But we didn't mention any time frame," said Mostafa Mohsin Montu, chairman of the Gonoforum's coordination team, after the meeting.

If the next national election is held before completion of reforms, things will return to square one, he said.

Montu said they also urged the interim government to take steps to control the price hikes.

Oli Ahmed, president of the Liberal Democratic Party, demanded that the interim government ban the AL for fighting against the country's people in July-August.

"They illegally used the police [against the people]. They killed and injured 1,500 people. Awami League will have to be banned as it "fought a war against the country's 18 crore people," Ahmed told reporters after the meeting.

AL also turned Bangladesh into a hotbed of corruption, he added.

Andaleeve Rahman, chairman of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), said actions should be taken against the AL and its 14 party alliance members. 

"Whether the Awami League will be banned through an executive order or an order from the High Court is a different matter, but the process should begin," he said.

Terming the country's current constitution undemocratic, Jatiya Mukti Council Secretary Faizul Hakim demanded the enactment of a new constitution.

He also said that Hasina should be repatriated from India and put on trial.

"Sitting in India, the Awami League president is hatching conspiracies. This has to be stopped."

He demanded dismantling of market syndicates that are behind the price spirals.

He also called for a ration system in the country, adequate wages in the readymade garment sector and reopening of 25 sugar mills.

The recent statements on Bangabandhu and March 7 by some government high-ups have created controversy and the people did not accept those, said Sharif Nurul Ambia, president of Bangladesh Jasod.

"There is no logic in putting the blame on Bangabandhu for the mistakes of Hasina's former government. So, we think the statements should be corrected," he said.

The advisory council must be reformed before reforms are carried out elsewhere, said Mostafizur Rahman Iran, president of the Labour Party.

The two advisers representing students are doing well, but most of the others have "failed".

"That is why the unsuccessful advisers should be removed from the advisory council."

He also demanded arrests and punishment of the top Jatiya Party leaders for enabling the fascist government.

The AL and its 14 party alliance members and the JP are yet to be invited to the dialogue with Yunus.

On October 5, leaders of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Left Democratic Alliance and six parties from the Ganatantra Mancha held dialogues with Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna.