Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, former interim government advisor and National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson, said that within two months of the formation of the government, there are clear signs of repressive tendencies in the BNP.
He said this during a round table discussion on ‘The Politics of Repeal of Ordinance and Refusal of Referendum: Bangladesh in the Age of Parliamentary Dictatorship’ at Tafazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of National Press Club on Wednesday (April 8). The program was organized by NCP’s Reform Implementation Committee.
Asif Mahmud said that although Awami League reached a repressive position in the past, BNP is moving very quickly in that direction. He mentioned the recent incident of mourning 28 judges as worrying. He claimed that action was taken against the judges because the government disliked the screenshots of a WhatsApp group discussion. Through this, the independence of the judiciary has been feared.
He said Facebook posts are causing arrests again, a repeat of the situation two years ago. A leader of an NCP organization has also been arrested in such incidents.
Questioning the Prime Minister, Asif said that if criticism cannot be tolerated, it should be made clear or legislated. At the same time, he criticized the tendency to restrict satire or freedom of expression.
He said, the country is now walking on the opposite path from the change that was expected after the popular uprising of 2024. The trend of ‘absolute power’ is being noticed in the government. If BNP takes an anti-public or controversial decision, let it come forward quickly. Because people can respond quickly without waiting for a long time.
Regarding the July uprising and reforms, he said that although there is a proposal to rewrite the constitution, even the compromise version cannot be implemented at present. He alleged that even the ordinances which do not reduce the power of the government are being cancelled.
