In the liaison committee meetings held on May 12, 13, 15, and 16, BNP did not clarify its stance on Jamaat. However, wishing to remain anonymous, a Ganatantra Mancha leader said: “BNP’s position is clear, they will keep Jamaat with them.” The role Jamaat will play remains unclear.
On May 14, a senior Jamaat leader said: “The acting chairman of the BNP has realized that excluding Jamaat was not strategically correct. We will now move forward simultaneously, even if we don’t share the same stage.”
Several standing committee members believe that Tarique Rahman has reached a principled decision but does not want to disclose it yet. His stance may become clearer in upcoming meetings.
Meanwhile, 12-party alliance leader, Bangladesh LDP Secretary General Shahadat Hossain Selim said they advised BNP to include Jamaat.
A high-level official revealed that specific proposals have been given to BNP by the Ganatantra Mancha, Gano Forum, and NDM. A Ganatantra Mancha leader said: “BNP has been told that the decision-making process of the movement should be more democratic.” Another meeting with BNP may occur.
Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party and a Ganatantra Mancha leader, said: “We discussed the situation before and after January 7, including the dummy election and subsequent events. We need more reviews to build future movements, overcoming past weaknesses.”
Saiful also mentioned that further discussions are necessary for reorganizing the movement, which will help in presenting future plans.
Several high-level BNP officials said that the strategy for the coming days would focus on coordinating with existing parties, keeping Jamaat involved, and preventing the ruling party from exploiting the situation. They hinted at addressing the ongoing economic crisis in future programs but gave no clear indication about targeting mid-term elections.
A top BNP leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “There has been no discussion about mid-term elections. It will come up during political discussions naturally.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: “We discussed alliance politics and national issues in our meeting. The program has not been decided yet. We are still reviewing and exchanging views.”
BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan announced that LDP Chairman Oli Ahmad would hold a press conference on Saturday to highlight some points from his perspective, with BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan also expected to attend.