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Khaleda unhappy over Jamaat role

Suspects its 'secret deal' with govt

Rashidul Hasan
Raising questions over the absence of the Jamaat's organisational activities, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has expressed her suspicions as to whether the Islamist party has reached a "secret understanding" with the Hasina government.
The BNP chief also expressed her annoyance over Hefajat-e Islam Ameer Shah Ahmed Shafi's recent comment that he has no enmity with the Awami League government.
At a meeting of the BNP-led 19-party alliance on Thursday night at her Gulshan office, Khaleda also criticised the chiefs of the Khelafat Majlish and Islami Oikya Jote, two components of the coalition, over their failure to "handle" the Hefajat chief, meeting sources told The Daily Star.
Khaleda expressed her strong resentment over the Jamaat's "aggressiveness" in challenging BNP-backed candidates in the recent upazila elections, especially in the BNP strongholds of Bogra and Feni.
The Jamaat-e-lslami, a major component of the alliance, should not have engaged in the battle of ballots with the BNP-backed candidates in the polls, she added.
The BNP chief advised the 19-party leaders not to talk about these issues with journalists.
Talking to The Daily Star, the chairman of a component of the opposition alliance said Khaleda in the meeting asked Jamaat representative MA Halim why the Islamist party has no activities at present.
"She |Khaleda| also enquired whether the Jamaat has reached a deal with the government to save its top leaders now facing war crimes trials."
Khaleda also warned Halim that "secret negotiations or understanding" with the government will not save the top Jamaat leaders who are behind bars.
"You [Jamaat] do not know the Awami League. It has no character. You will not be benefited at the end of the day even if you lobby with the government," the chairman of an ally quoted Khaleda as saying at the meeting.
In response, Halim said he feels happy that the BNP chief has expressed her annoyance over the Jamaat. "From your criticism we will be able to correct ourselves. The Jamaat will play an active role in any programmes of the 19-party alliance as in the past. The Jamaat played a leading role in the recent anti-government movement. We suffered huge losses as many of our leaders and activists died in the movement. We will also play an appropriate role in the upcoming movement."
Pointing to Shafi's remark that the Hasina government, AL and BOL are their friends, Khaleda said the Hefajat chief was in a movement centring on a particular issue. "But what he is saying is not acceptable."
Khaleda also raised the question of whether the Hefajat boss too had reached any understanding with the government in exchange of something.
She also enquired of Khelafat Majlish Chairman Mohammad Ishaq
and IOJ chairman Abdul Latif Nejami to this end.
In reply, Nejami said due to his increasing age, the Hefajat chief is out of his sense most of the time.
Out of 12 upazilas in Bogra district, Jamaat-backed chairman candidates won in five upazilas while BNP favourites got the rest.
The Jamaat defeated BNP men in Sherpur, Nandigram, Kahalu and Shibganj of Bogra, triggering anger among BNP grassroots.
The local BNP already has expressed its resentment before its central leaders.
Khaleda Zia said that the Jamaat should go "soft" in the elections in Bogra as it is the birthplace of BNP founder and late president Ziaur Rahman. She also lambasted the party for contesting from her electoral constituencyin Feni.