Bangladesh has entered a new era as BNP returned to power after 11 years with the swearing-in of late Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman as the prime minister at a ceremony, which was held not in Banga Bhavan but at the parliament’s south plaza.
For the first time after 35 years, a male politician has become the prime minister. At the same time, Tarique Rahman nipped Mohd. Yunus’ conspiracy to change the Constitution.
Tarique Rahman said, there will be no new Constitution. Piqued over his stance, fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizens Party declared war against Tarique Rahman from Day One.
These were the two parties who egged on youths to come out on the streets of Dhaka to oust Sheikh Hasina from power.
The question now arises: Will these two parties again incite youths to hit the roads? Will Tarique Rahman be able to out a leash on these fundamentalist forces? Will Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh get protection from Islamic fanatics? What will be the effects on Bangladesh’s relationship with India?
Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and Nahid Islam’s NCP party leaders did not attend the swearing-in ceremony. Both these parties want Bangladesh to have an Islamic Constitution, but Tarique Rahman decided to induct a Hindu and a Buddhist as a minister in his cabinet.
The bone of contention between the BNP government and opposition is the referendum verdict in which more than 68 per cent voters voted in favour of reforms in the Constitution. During the oath ceremony, BNP members of Parliament refused to take oath in the name of Constitutional Reforms Council, while Jamaat and NCP members took oath in the name of the Council.
Sixty-year-old Tarique Rahman is the youngest prime minsiter to take oath. His mother Begum Khaleda Zia became PM thrice. She passed away a few weeks ago after her health deteriorated.
Tarique Rahman’s father Gen. Ziaur Rahman was the President of Bangladesh and Army Chief. It was Ziaur Rahman, who in 1971 was the first to announce Bangladesh’s independence from Swadhin Bangladesh Betar Kendra in Chittagong.
It was in Chittagong that Gen. Zia was assassinated in 1981. At that time, Tarique Rahman was hardly 16 years of age.
Tarique Rahman is not a greenhorn in politics. He became BNP member in 1988 and was made party secretary in 2002. When Sheikh Hasina swept to power, 84 cases were filed against Tarique Rahman. He was sentenced in one case and stayed in jail for 18 months. He took bail and went to London for treatment, where he stayed for 17 years.
Since his mother Begum Khaleda Zia was ill in jail, it was Tarique Rahman who was running the party from London.
In 2024, when Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power due to a public uprising. Mohammed Yunus became the chief adviser of the interim government. He withdrew all cases filed against Rahman, who returned home in December last year.
Tarique Rahman led his party to a historic win in this month’s parliamentary election. Though he has no experience of running the government, his first challenge will be to put a leash on fundamentalist forces like Jamaat and NCP.
Tarique Rahman will have to stop anarchy and communal bigotry against minorities. At the same time, he will have to revive the economy and mend relations with neighbours.
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