An initiative has been taken to finally bridge the gap between the government and the BNP after months of political unrest. As far as is known, the interim government's chief advisor, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, has himself taken this initiative. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has also supported him. BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who is in London, has also shown a positive attitude in this regard. As a result, if everything goes well, a meeting between Yunus and Tarique Rahman is going to be held in London on June 13.
However, as there is public expectation surrounding the possible meeting, there is also discussion about what will happen in the end. Prominent social thinker Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque believes that it will be possible to reach an agreement through a meeting between the two leaders. According to Dilara Chowdhury, a former professor at Jahangirnagar University, it is expected that both leaders will agree to prevent a conflict situation. On the other hand, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), expressed hope that both leaders will show political wisdom. "There was some distance between the BNP and the government on various major and minor issues, including the election date. Not all differences are going to be resolved. However, I hope that there will be an agreement on some issues," said Dr. Shahdeen Malik, senior lawyer of the Supreme Court.
Although a source has confirmed that no information about the 'one-to-one' meeting will be released for the time being, there is already a certain expectation in the public mind regarding the meeting. It is being said that the uncertainty regarding the elections will be removed through the meeting. However, many in both the government and the BNP are skeptical about the political wisdom of the government. The political situation has become somewhat chaotic in the last few months due to the contradictory statements of the two parties. The role of one or two leaders of the newly formed NCP (National Citizens Party) has added to this. All in all, a kind of conflict situation had been created in the country for the past few days. A distance had been created between the government and the BNP. In such a situation, the chief advisor announced a possible date for the election on June 6 in his address to the nation. He said that the national election will be held sometime in the first half of April next year. But the BNP was not satisfied with this announcement and reacted negatively. As a result, the situation became more chaotic. There was discussion among observers and political parties, but it was unlikely that an agreement would be reached. And if there was no agreement, political conflict would become inevitable. Many say that if there is a conflict, the elections will be postponed, and BNP will suffer the most in politics. Because among the political parties, BNP is currently close to power. If there is conflict, it would be difficult for the interim government to survive, and even advisors may resign. But if such a situation arises, there are doubts about whether political parties, as well as alternative centers of power, will be able to agree on the formation of a new government. Apart from that, there are also doubts about whether a third force will hold elections on time if it comes to power. That is, BNP will lose from all sides. There is also talk in the country's politics that the Awami League will benefit the most if a conflict situation arises, because they will take advantage of the anarchic situation. Although there is consensus among the parties participating in the movement to overthrow Hasina on stopping the Awami League. However, they are not able to agree on all issues. The dispute over the election date also stems from this.
Sources said that Khaleda Zia came to know about the BNP's dispute with the government over the elections through various means. However, when the leaders of the BNP standing committee met her on the night of June 7, she instructed them to keep the situation calm. She said that there is no point in getting into a conflict with the Yunus government. Sources claim that she also spoke to many people concerned. The situation changed soon after this. BNP reviewed the situation in a meeting of the BNP standing committee on the evening of June 9 and moved away from its tough stance.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a press conference yesterday after the meeting that the meeting between Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman could be a turning point for politics. He also expressed optimism that the meeting could open new horizons. Referring to the political situation in the country, he said that many problems could be resolved through this meeting.
"There will ultimately be a compromise between the BNP and other political parties with the chief advisor. The meeting of Dr. Yunus and Tarique Rahman will reduce political unrest. There will be relief in the public mind. This discussion is immediately good for the country. The existing complications will reduce," said Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, prominent statesman and former professor at Dhaka University. "It is desirable that the leaders of both parties have political wisdom. Otherwise, a third party can sabotage the talks," he added, urging everyone to be cautious.
"I believe that when the chief advisor has given two hours and said that he would listen to everything, he definitely wants a solution to the problem. The chief advisor has taken a big step on his part to resolve the crisis," Dr. Dilara Chowdhury, professor and political analyst, told Khaborer Kagoj.
"Since BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has intervened, we have confidence in the politics of Khaleda Zia and Ziaur Rahman. Recently, the people were not getting confidence in the various speeches of BNP leaders. I think the meeting will be positive. The ongoing crisis will also be resolved. The uncertainty and fear in the minds of the people will be removed. We will thank Begum Zia, Dr. Yunus, and Tarique Rahman for that. People were afraid that BNP would join the movement again. Then it would have been a conflict. I hope both leaders will agree to prevent a situation where conflict does not occur in the country," added the former professor of Jahangirnagar University.
"I hope both leaders will keep their political wisdom. They will think about those who gave their lives in the mass uprising. They will try to solve the problem by thinking about them and reach a compromise. The compromise needs to be in the interest of the entire country, not just the BNP or the government. However, only time will tell whether the ice has melted or not," said Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan).
"There will be elections in the country one way or another. The interim government will not last beyond the month of April. The chief advisor is now the head of power. No one can do anything in the country beyond that," he continued.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer and constitutional expert Dr. Shahdeen Malik told Khaborer Kagoj that the discussions will depend on the outcome. The chief advisor has spoken to the heads of all political parties multiple times in Dhaka. It can't happen that he won't talk to the BNP chief. Let's see what results come from their talks.
He further said that BNP is close to power, not any other party. As a result, if there is unrest in the country, BNP will suffer. There was some distance between BNP and the government on various minor issues, including the election date. Not all differences are going to be resolved. However, he hopes that there will be an agreement on some issues.
"It's not that the elections will go straight from April to December. But there could be something in between. There could be discussions on the advisors that the BNP has objections to. Whether the elections will be held under this government, whether there will be a change of personnel before the elections, and whether the size will increase further—these can also be discussed. Especially on issues where the distance between the interim government and the BNP is reduced, the best result will be achieved. The best outcome will be if both parties are flexible," added the prominent lawyer.
