Five months after forming the government, Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Tarique Rahman has hosted a dinner in honour of the top leaders of allied parties and like-minded coalitions. But the BNP’s long-time ally, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, is not taking part. The meeting was due to be held on Monday evening at the Jamuna state guest house in the capital, and formal invitations had already been sent to the top leaders of the BNP’s allied parties. Despite all the preparations, the invited Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leaders are not attending.
The party’s publicity secretary, Imranul Bari Siraji, told Amar Desh: “We were the BNP’s main ally. After the party came to power, they took no notice of us. What use is it now to go just to eat?” Several party sources said relations between the BNP and Jamiat have not been the same since the parliamentary election. Although the party was allowed to contest four seats under a coalition arrangement, it won none. Jamiat leaders feel they have not been given due recognition as an ally since the government was formed.
In a recent interview, Jamiat president Maulana Ubaidullah Faruq openly expressed his anger: “Since the election, the BNP has had no contact with us. There have been no pleasantries and no meetings. Relations are kept with others in the coalition, but we have been consistently ignored. It is mysterious.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report