Khwaja Masum Billah Kausarey: Let us begin with a quote from the renowned political sociologist Samuel P. Huntington in his seminal work “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order”: “The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural… The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future.”
This prophecy finds real-world reflection when politics and culture begin to move in opposing directions within a society. In Bangladesh, too, when terrorism, extortion, and territorial control are carried out in the name of politics, the cultural balance of social life collapses. Today’s article is a reflection on just such a harsh reality—highlighting some destructive activities by members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and raising serious questions about the responsibilities of Mr. Tarique Rahman, the party’s acting chairman.
There is now a clearly visible moral crisis within BNP politics. Once a widely popular political party, the BNP had its roots embedded in the people. But in the past decade of being out of power, a section of the party has visibly abandoned political integrity.
Regrettably, after years of unilateral rule under Sheikh Hasina, the BNP had a real opportunity to regain public trust. Instead, what we see now is the spread of a subculture of extortion, thuggery, and violence under the BNP banner in various parts of the country. According to political analysts and researchers, the foundation of a democratic party must be based on ethics, principles, and grassroots engagement. Yet many BNP leaders and activists now use their political identity as a tool for personal and financial gain.
In Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Comilla, Chattogram, and other districts, there are numerous allegations of extorting money from business owners, taking over markets, forcibly demanding partnership in contracts, and even grabbing land from poor farmers. According to one research report, during the fiscal year 2023–24, a significant portion of politically motivated violence and extortion incidents were linked to BNP and its affiliated organizations.
Educational institutions—which are supposed to cultivate the nation’s future leadership—have also become a hotbed of BNP-backed student violence. At Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Chattogram University, Islamic University in Kushtia, and Jahangirnagar University, there are repeated allegations against Chhatra Dal (BNP’s student wing) involving campus takeovers, beatings, weapons displays, and assaults on general students.
This violent conduct has turned student politics into an object of public scorn. Teachers and students alike are increasingly distancing themselves from partisan politics. Such a trend poses a serious threat to the intellectual future of the nation.
Honorable Mr. Tarique Rahman, you are the worthy son of late President Ziaur Rahman. A significant number of people still place their faith in you, believing you could usher in a new era of principled politics.
But those who are misusing the party’s name to carry out disorder and thuggery are choking that very public trust. Are you not witnessing this? Under your party’s name, people are being beaten, businesses are being destroyed, and journalists are being threatened. Are you not hearing the reports of your activists brandishing weapons in the name of democracy?
If a democratic movement truly seeks justice, then its foundation must rest upon ethics and nonviolence.
Does politics then teach violence? History testifies that such violent movements have never succeeded in building sustainable public trust. Rather, they destroy people’s faith in both the party and its leadership.
If you genuinely wish to transform BNP into a democratic force under your leadership, you must first take a firm stand against internal criminal elements. Those exploiting politics for business or spreading terror cannot be allowed to remain in the party’s fold.
They must be taught that politics is about serving people, standing with the masses through their joy and suffering. Democracy is not sustained through threats and force, but through empathy and unity. True political strength lies not in occupying others’ rights, but in restoring those rights.
Honorable Mr. Tarique Rahman, you still have time to safeguard your party’s future. You have the power to rebuild BNP into a modern, progressive, humane, and value-based political organization. But for that, the first urgent step is this: take a bold stand against your own party’s internal wrongdoers.
There is still time—stop your cadres. Make them understand that politics is for values, for principles, for the people’s welfare. Let politics not become a stage for extortion, occupation, and violence.
Otherwise, one day, this nation and its people will turn away from you as well. History does not forgive those politicians who crush public trust to promote terror in the name of party loyalty.
Author: The Executive Director of a nongovernment Research & Development Organization, Journalist, and Human Rights Activist in Bangladesh.
