THE political programmes that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the largest in the opposition camp, have held come to be attacked again. The attacks on the programmes, reportedly carried out by leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League and its fronts, at places across the country have left at least 12 leaders and activists of the party in opposition wounded. One of the seriously injured, acting convener of the Natore district Bangladesh Nationalist Party,聽 in attacks on the programme in Natore was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on referral by the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital as he was beaten and hacked. The attacks, mostly by ruling party leaders and activists, in the presence of the police in cases, took place in district headquarters where the party in opposition held the programmes, but the attacks were severe in Natore, Patuakhali and Bagerhat. People, who also included BNP leaders and activists, also faced obstruction on their way to join the programmes. The Bangladesh Nationalist party held the rallies in district quarters on July 3 to wrap up its three-day country programme, which included a rally in Dhaka on June 29 and rallies in all cities on July 1, to press home the demand for the release of the party鈥檚 chairperson.
While all this suggests that the Awami League has unnecessarily been high-handed about the Bangladesh Nationalist Party 鈥� a phenomenon that has been manifest in the ruling party for quite some years now 鈥� shrinking the space for democratic rights of political parties, civic groups and individuals to dissent, what is curious about all this is that both the ruling party and the police have been in denial of the attacks by the Awami League. While the Bangladesh Nationalist Party says that Awami League leaders and activists have carried out the attacks, in some cases, with sharp weapons and exploded crude bombs, Awami League leaders say that no leaders of activists of the party have carried out any attacks on BNP programmes, trying to pass the incidents off as results of the conflict within the party in opposition. The police in Natore seek to say that some miscreants carried out the attacks, noting that they have identified the attackers and action could be taken against the attackers on a case being filed on behalf of the injured. The police in Patuakhali, however, say that they have not been able to identify the attackers and they could bring the situation under control. The Awami League鈥檚 efforts to foil BNP programmes have made the headlines for a few years now. The Awami League should have already made a course correction and stop being heavy-handed towards the political parties in opposition.
While the Awami League stand at hand is a glaring manifestation of high-handedness towards political parties in the opposition, it also vitiates the political culture. It is time the Awami League and the government it presides over had a course correction in issues concerning political opposition.
