BNP Still Big but Losing Public Support, Says Taher

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer and former lawmaker Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher has said that although the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) remains one of the country’s major political forces, it has experienced a significant decline in public support.

Dr Taher made the remarks on Saturday evening while addressing an election rally organised by the Chauddagram Upazila Jamaat-e-Islami unit in Cumilla. The gathering drew local activists and supporters as part of Jamaat’s broader campaign strategy ahead of the upcoming national elections.

Recalling BNP’s early years, Dr Taher highlighted the party’s rise under the leadership of Ziaur Rahman and later Khaleda Zia, during which BNP grew both in organisational strength and mass popularity. “Today, surveys indicate that BNP remains a major political party, but its popularity has eroded over the years,” he said.

Turning to the wider political landscape, he criticised what he described as a long-standing “culture of violence, corruption, and political decay” that has afflicted Bangladesh since the early years of independence. He pointed to the assassinations of two presidents and decades of political instability, saying:

“At 54 years old, Bangladeshi politics has become synonymous with murder, theft, robbery, and corruption.”

Dr Taher said that ordinary voters are increasingly rejecting individuals linked to extortion, muscle power, and corruption. He cautioned that the country’s four million new voters are unlikely to support what he termed “champions of corruption and extortion” in the forthcoming polls.

Discussing future political alignments, the Jamaat leader said his party is actively working to build a wider electoral alliance with other like-minded political groups. He suggested that such an alliance could emerge as a decisive force in national politics:

“If we succeed, this alliance will form the next government, Insha’Allah.”

Addressing concerns about governance, Dr Taher assured that Jamaat-e-Islami would pursue a policy of non-retaliation and would not target political opponents if brought to power. He stressed Jamaat’s record in government, noting that despite numerous investigations, no evidence of corruption had been found against any of the party’s former ministers or its 62 former MPs.

The rally was chaired by Gunbati Union Jamaat Ameer Md Yusuf Member and moderated by Chauddagram Upazila Jamaat executive Dr Manzur Ahmed Sakir, who also urged party workers to strengthen grassroots engagement and prepare for the upcoming electoral challenges.