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Key Points

The BNP has accused Jamaat-e-Islami of attempting to establish a parallel state structure through its campus activities. Senior leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi cited examples of student leaders imposing fines that go directly to party funds. He criticized Jamaat's student wing for taking over administrative functions like supplying beds to university halls. The BNP leader also accused media of biased reporting that ignores Jamaat's alleged offenses while highlighting BNP's supposed misdeeds.

Key Points: BNP Accuses Jamaat of Creating State Within State in Bangladesh

  • BNP alleges Jamaat student leader fined shop Tk 3000 for party fund
  • Questions legal basis for student leader exercising magistracy powers
  • Criticizes Islami Chhatra Shibir for supplying university beds
  • Claims media ignores Jamaat offenses while targeting BNP
3 min read

Bangladesh: BNP accuses Jamaat of trying to create 'state within state'

BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleges Jamaat-e-Islami is establishing parallel authority through campus fines and party-funded activities in Bangladesh universities.

"We have always seen that their activities are creating a 'state within the state' - Ruhul Kabir Rizvi"

Dhaka, Sep 21

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), on Sunday, accused radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami of attempting to establish "state within the state" through its actions in the country's political landscape and universities, media reported.

"Has the Dhaka University Central Students' Union Vice President been given magistracy power to decide which shop on the campus is legal or illegal? He fined a shop Tk (Bangladeshi taka) 3,000 and then deposited the money into Baitul Mal (the party's fund). What is the legal basis for this?" Dhaka Tribune quoted the BNP senior Joint Secretary General, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, as saying during a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club.

The BNP leader said that in any university, it is the administration's duty to monitor who operates shops or markets within the campus, and student leaders can raise an alarm if the peaceful and orderly environment of the campus is disrupted.

"Instead, you are imposing fines and that money is going into Jamaat's party fund. This is a very serious matter. We have always seen that their activities are creating a 'state within the state', and we are now observing such an environment," the BNP leader added.

Rizvi also criticised Jamaat's student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, for supplying iron beds to university halls, questioning whether such responsibility should lie with a political party or the student union.

"If students have demands, they should bargain or negotiate with the vice-chancellor. If there is a shortage of accommodation, beds or other facilities, it is the administration's duty to address it," the BNP leader said.

"This is very strange. It undermines the legal foundation of the state and goes against the proper functioning of the university. Are you running an orphanage that you provide iron beds? Will you also provide dining tables for food? These kinds of actions are a very bad sign, in our view," he added.

He lamented that media outlets fail to highlight the misdeeds of Jamaat leaders and activists, while allegations against the BNP are widely reported.

Rizvi also claimed that the media and social media often accuse BNP of extortion, sand lifting or stone theft, while it never reports Jamaat leaders' involvement in offences, including cases of sexual harassment or abuse of women.

The parties that earlier collaborated with country's interim chief advisor Muhammad Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by former PM Sheikh Hasina, are now at loggerheads.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Student unions collecting fines and depositing in party funds? This sounds exactly like what happens in some Indian campuses too. Political parties should not misuse student organizations like this.
A
Aman W
While BNP is right to point out these issues, let's not forget they've had their own problematic alliances in the past. Political parties in Bangladesh need to put national interest above everything else.
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Sarah B
The media bias mentioned here is concerning. Balanced reporting is crucial for democracy. If certain parties' misdeeds are being ignored while others are highlighted, it creates an uneven playing field.
Karthik V
Bangladesh needs strong institutions, not strongmen or parallel power structures. Universities should remain spaces for learning, not political battlegrounds. Hope they resolve this peacefully.
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Nisha Z
The 'state within state' accusation is serious. We've seen how such parallel systems can destabilize countries. Bangladesh authorities must ensure that only legitimate state institutions exercise authority.

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