India ‘disregarded’ friendly advice on controlling Hasina’s government: Former Awami ally G.M. Quader

India ‘disregarded’ friendly advice from Bangladesh and extended ‘unrestrained’ support to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which was partly responsible for the misgovernance the country was subjected to during her tenure, said Ghulam Mohammad Quader, chief of Jatiyo Party and a former ally of Ms. Hasina, which is contesting in the upcoming election of Bangladesh.

Speaking to The Hindu over the telephone from Dhaka, Mr. Quader said his party is not receiving support from the current administration because of its past association with the Awami League and accused the country’s interim government of lacking sincerity in delivering an inclusive election.

“I advised India on multiple occasions to not give unrestrained support to Sheikh Hasina’s government, but they did not listen to my suggestions. Ultimately, she was thrown out, but there is no certainty ahead of us because the uprising has not led to any concrete political outcome,” Mr. Quader said.

Criticising the interim government being led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Mr. Quader described its top officials as “inexperienced” and accused them of failing to control a surge of uncontrolled mob violence, which also gutted his ancestral house in northern Bangladesh. “The mob culture of Bangladesh was controlled in Hasina-era, but it has now surged and the police do nothing when the mob attacks political persons,” said Mr. Quader, the younger brother of the late military ruler Hossein Mohammed Ershad.

“We at least knew where to complain where violent incidents took place during the Hasina-era. Now, we do not know where to seek justice in case something happens to me or my loved ones,” Mr. Quader said, painting a dismal picture of the law and order situation in the country.

Mr. Quader said while the interim government has banned the Awami League, it has not banned Jatiyo Party. However, he alleged his party continues to face considerable obstruction on the ground due to its former alliance with Awami League, preventing the party from campaigning normally.

“We were allies of Awami League at one point and that is why the dominant players now are trying to attack us, though they have not banned us. They also try to obstruct our election campaign whenever we try to hold public meetings,” he said. Mr. Quader also accused the interim government of mixing election with a referendum for changing the constitution through the incorporation of July Charter into the constitution of Bangladesh.

He said that the idea of the referendum on February 12 was not clear to many at the beginning but with time, it is becoming clear that the “referendum on July Charter and the national election are contradictory to each other”.

The election aims to continue the parliamentary system with the Prime Minister on top but the referendum is aimed at changing that system, Mr. Quader said. The interim government of Prof. Mohammed Yunus has been campaigning for ‘Yes vote’ in the referendum.

Criticising the conduct of the referendum campaign, Mr. Quader said, “The way the referendum is being steered by the administrative machinery to ensure a ‘Yes vote’ makes us feel it is being fraudulently imposed on the population. The voters are being led to vote in favour of changing the constitution without being provided complete information.”