Abu Jakir :
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has intensified its campaign against the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, escalating both political rhetoric and street-level demonstrations amid growing uncertainty over the administration’s timeline and objectives.
As the country’s largest opposition force, the BNP has openly accused the Yunus-led interim government of exceeding its mandate by delaying general elections under the pretext of state reforms.
With the December deadline for elections fast approaching, BNP leaders have warned that further delays could trigger what they describe as an “unavoidable confrontation.”
“Professor Yunus is a globally respected figure,” BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said in a recent speech.
“But with that respect comes responsibility. You must honour your commitment to the people and ensure elections are held by December. Do not allow democracy in Bangladesh to be indefinitely obstructed under the guise of justice and reform.”
Sources close to the BNP leadership indicate that the party is determined to see the interim government step down at the earliest possible opportunity. Once regarded as a neutral authority following the fall of the Awami League government during a student-led uprising last year, the Yunus administration now faces increasing scepticism from the opposition, which fears the reform agenda may be used to justify an extended tenure without electoral legitimacy.
Tensions between the BNP and the interim government have worsened in recent weeks. With each new political flashpoint, BNP activists-who maintain a strong grassroots presence-have taken to the streets in demonstrations and blockades, several of which have disrupted daily life in the capital.
In recent days, BNP supporters have paralysed central Dhaka with large-scale protests.
At Shahbagh intersection, a key traffic hub, members of the party’s student wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), staged a protest demanding justice for Shahriar Alam Sammo, a student activist who was killed last week on the Dhaka University campus.
While the incident remains under investigation, JCD leaders accuse the authorities of inaction and have vowed to escalate protests if no arrests are made.
On another front, BNP activists have mounted a sit-in outside Nagar Bhaban, the headquarters of Dhaka South City Corporation, disrupting its administrative operations for several consecutive days. The protest centres around BNP leader Ishraque Hossain, who claims to have won the mayoral election and is demanding immediate swearing-in-a demand the interim administration has yet to publicly address.
On Tuesday, Ishraque’s supporters issued an ultimatum, threatening to disrupt key civic services-including electricity and waste management-unless their demands are met by 21 May. Protesters erected a temporary stage outside the city corporation offices, chanting slogans and pledging to continue the blockade.
Among their demands is the resignation of government adviser Asif Mahmud, whom they accuse of obstructing the democratic process.
Initially welcomed as a stabilising force in the aftermath of the Awami League’s ousting, the Yunus-led government is now coming under increasing scrutiny.
BNP leaders argue that its principal responsibility is to organise free and fair elections, not to undertake broad structural reforms.
“What we are witnessing is a slow drift,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a statement on Tuesday.
“We have a rare opportunity to build a real democracy through the sacrifices of thousands of students and citizens. But now a new shadow looms. There appears to be a move to derail the national election.”
The interim government has yet to provide a formal response to the BNP’s growing demands. However, Professor Yunus has reiterated that reforms are vital to ensuring the integrity and credibility of the forthcoming election. Rushing the process, he warned, risks plunging the country back into the instability that preceded the Awami League’s fall.
With public patience wearing thin and the opposition vowing to intensify its mobilisation, the coming weeks will be crucial. Bangladesh now faces a delicate balancing act: conducting timely elections while safeguarding reforms that many hoped would usher in a more democratic and accountable political era.
