Bangladesh: Blueprint of Alternative Political Force

Former President H M Ershad has been considered by many to be an unpredictable character in Bangladesh politics.

Sources have disclosed that Eshad was threatened to be put behind bars again and Indian intelligence has stated that they have enough evidence to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.

(SALEM) - Former President and Jatiya Party Chairman H M Ershad recently met India's newly-elected President, Pranab Mukherjee, and was the first Bangladeshi politician to do so.

The news agency bdnews24 reported:

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During his meeting with Singh, Ershad reportedly raised the contentious issues in Bangladesh-India ties, including the impasse over agreement for sharing of water of common river Teesta, controversy over the proposed hydro-electric project at Tipaimukh in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur and the delay in ratification of the land boundary agreement.

”

Suddenly Bangladesh's ex-martial law administrator becomes a much more important ally for India. Through my contacts, I have received very interesting and insightful information about developments from his recent trip to India.

During his visit he gave an interview with Times of India. In that interview Rudroneel Ghosh asked him several question; if you carefully analyze the questions and answers, some important things will come out. Let’s have a look into those:

Times of India: You were Bangladesh's martial law administrator, then President, now an elected representative. What are your views on democracy in the subcontinent?

Ershad: There's no doubt democracy has taken root in India. However, this hasn't happened in Bangladesh because the country is divided into two camps. Elections take place - but the party that loses doesn't go to parliament.

Recently, President Pranab Mukherjee said parliament is the soul of the people. Unfortunately, all the parliaments in Bangladesh have been one-party, non-functional parliaments. If we want to make democracy functional in Bangladesh, parliament must function properly.

These days many politicians and experts are discussing the need for a third power. One alternative may be a military takeover of power. While BNP is working to make a better alliance, they have also approached Ershad along with Jamat with a better proposal. But for Ershad, the demand involved BNP getting elected; they have to elect him as president. But for BNP –Jamat alliance it was hard to agree on that but they had agreed on many issues with Ershad.

Now coming to the point, the Awami League was aware of that negotiation process and Sheikh Hasina immediately consulted with some political elite and close allies in the Indian lobby.

Let’s have a careful look into Ershad's answer:

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…Bangladesh because the country is divided into two camps. Elections take place - but the party that loses doesn't go to parliament…… all the parliaments in Bangladesh have been one-party, non-functional parliaments. If we want to make democracy functional in Bangladesh, parliament must function properly.

”

Sheikh Hasina had a dream to remain in power up to 2020 and if she remains in power that will be very beneficial for India specifically. A high profile political scientist and a group of experts of Indian intelligence have suggested to Hasina the creation of an alternative third force which will act on the order of Hasina and fulfill the common agenda of India and Hasina.

The blue print of an alternative political force has been laid out by Hasina who along with India has promised Ershad to be the main opposition party in the next parliament election and India has promised that they will also help financially.

Ershad has signed on, agreeing to several bilateral issues where India will be highly beneficial. And those are clearly anti-Bangladesh and if the blueprint is successful, Bangladesh will be fully in the hand of India; the market and economy will be fully dependent on India.

Sources have disclosed that primary opposition party BNP is aware of the blueprint laid by Hasina and India to wash BNP out from the parliament.

Ershad has been considered by many to be an unpredictable character in Bangladesh politics.

Previously he had joined 4 Party Alliance at the end of BNP term of 2001-06 after meetings with Tarique and Babar at his (Ershad's) Residence, which was followed by meeting with Khaleda Zia at her (Zia) Cantonment's Mainul Road House.

In late October 2006 he said he was not with 4 Party Alliance and the following day he reversed his position. Later, he went into hiding for 3 days and joined Grand Alliance at Paltan Maidan with Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina breached an agreement to make him the President for at least six months. Moeen also committed to make him President before 11 January 2007. Ershad was offered to be head of the Government in 1991 by Sheikh Hasina while he was in jail and by Khaleda Zia in 1996 before the Awami League formed government after 21 years.

But the question is what made Ershad agree with Hasina on this blueprint? Sources have disclosed that Eshad was threatened to be put behind bars again and Indian intelligence has stated that they have enough evidence to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.

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Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes is a Bangladeshi journalist, human rights activist and author was born on 25 December, 1985 in Dhaka. As an investigative journalist he wrote widely for leading European and Asian media outlets.

He is also active in advocating for free and independent media and journalists’ rights, and is part of the free media movement, Global Independent Media Center – an activist media network for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate telling of the truth. He worked for Italian news agency Asianews.it from year 2009 to 2011, on that time he was accredited as a free lance journalist by the press information department of Bangladesh. During this time he has reported a notable numbers of reports for the news agency which were translated into Chinese and Italian and quoted by notable number of new outlets all over the world.He, ideologically, identifies himself deeply attached with anarchism. His political views are often characterized as “leftist” or “left-wing,” and he has described himself as an individualist anarchist.