Fakhrul slates Jamaat chief’s ‘engineering’ claim against BNP’s election victory

He accuses Jamaat of twisting the election narrative

Senior BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has mounted a sharp attack on Jamaat-e-Islami, rejecting its leadership’s claim that the BNP’s electoral victory was the product of “engineering”.

On Saturday, the BNP secretary general said such remarks twist the political reality of what he described as a widely recognised free and fair election, asserting that Jamaat’s mindset is "distorted".

“I saw a report in a newspaper [Saturday] that deeply hurt me. The Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer [Shafiqur Rahman] reportedly said the BNP came to power through engineering. I strongly condemn and protest this,” Fakhrul said at the party’s central office in Naya Paltan.

Fakhrul, who also serves as the local government minister, defended the legitimacy of the recent general election.

He noted that international observers and domestic institutions unanimously recognised the polls as the most neutral, free, and fair in Bangladesh's history.

“Through that fair process and its own popularity, the BNP secured 213 seats to form the government. We do not just reject the Jamaat chief's statement, we condemn it and express our resentment,” he added.

The BNP leader accused Jamaat of attempting to create "smoke screens" and division to institutionalise a new form of "fascist rule".

He urged the nation to be vigilant, questioning whether the party intends to drag the country back into autocracy.

Continuing his critique, Fakhrul referenced the history of Jamaat, saying that the nation had "consciously rejected" them.

He called for political efforts to "completely eliminate" the party from the country’s landscape in the future.

He also addressed recent "misinformation and fake news" on social media, including cartoons targeting the BNP, as part of a broader conspiracy by forces seeking to destabilise the state.

During the briefing, Fakhrul called for a successful May Day rally at Naya Paltan on May 1.

He announced that Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman would address the gathering as the chief guest via video link at 2pm.