New Delhi: Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, once an India baiter, who returned to his home country on Thursday after 17 years of self-imposed exile, announced that he “has a plan” for Bangladesh which is “a nation of diversity”.
Addressing a massive rally in Dhaka organised to welcome him, Rahman said just as the people of the country achieved independence in 1971, in 2024 people from all levels of society, working together, defended the nation’s freedom and sovereignty. “Today, the people of Bangladesh want to regain their right to speak. They want to reclaim their democratic rights,” he said.
Bangladesh is home to people from the hills and the plains, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, Rahman said. He emphasised the goal of creating a safe Bangladesh, one in which every woman, man or child can leave their home and return safely.
While he referred to 15 years of fascism in an indirect reference to the Sheikh Hasina-led government, the BNP leader did not criticise the former PM by name. Referencing Martin Luther King Jr’s famous quote “I have a dream,” Rahman said, “I have a plan.”
Rahman, son of two-time PM Khaleda Zia, said the young generation will build the country in the future. He emphasised building the nation on a democratic foundation with a strong economic base. “We want peace in the country,” he said.
Amid mayhem created by radicals, Rahman hopes to lead BNP to power and replace the interim regime led by Md Yunus. Rahman, who had once acted against India’s interests during the BNP-Jamaat rule during 2001-06 and was alleged to have maintained close links with Pakistan’s ISI, has refrained from any anti-India statements over the past year. BNP has claimed that if voted to power, it will seek to mend fences with India for a healthy bilateral partnership.The last BNP government (2001-06), which had Jamaat-e-Islami as the alliance partner, did not share smooth ties with India.
Rahman had allegedly backed anti-India terror groups and insurgents when his mother was the PM. His close circle then had a history of criminal activities with strong links with Pakistan’s army. ULFA leader Paresh Baruah, who was based in Bangladesh till 2008, was reportedly patronised by Rahman. Critics say Rahman maintained ties with Pakistan’s ISI and was sponsored by the agency while he was based in the UK.
Interestingly, Rahman shares lukewarm ties with Bangladesh’s current military leadership – their ties soured when the top officers were junior officers during the 2001-06 period. This delayed his return to Dhaka despite BNP playing a major role in ousting Sheikh Hasina through street protests in 2024.
But the party has been edgy over the delay in polls and Bangladesh watchers claim that Jamaat-e-Islami and other radical groups are apprehensive of BNP’s approach of building a relationship with India if voted to power. Last week’s rampage by the radicals was allegedly aimed at sabotaging February general elections.