Disagreements have widened among BNP and its allies over different issues, which is delaying the resumption of their simultaneous movement to press for various demands, including cancellation of the 7 January election and dissolution of the current parliament.

BNP and its like-minded parties, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Ganatantra Mancha, a six-party alliance, are now observing action programmes separately.

Though the party leaders are publicly claiming that their relationship is still intact, BNP insiders said an internal conflict is delaying the resumption of the simultaneous movement.

BNP observed black flag processions in district towns across the country on 26 January and in metropolitan cities on 27 January to realise its demands that also include release of all leaders, including party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and protesting the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

Though its allies, including 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Shamamana Jote, Gano Forum and Bangladesh People’s Party, observed the programmes simultaneously, Ganatantra Mancha and Jamaat refrained from observing any.

“There’s no problem among us. We’ll soon start carrying out common programmes as per our simultaneous movement to realise people’s demands," BNP Vice-Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan told the Daily Sun.   

BNP sources said the party’s Standing Committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Vice-Chairman Barkatullah Bulu are maintaining liaison with other parties and alliances while another Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed virtually joins the top leaders of other parties sometimes.

Currently though BNP is apparently maintaining a distance with Jamaat with regard to the simultaneous movement, both parties want to go for a joint movement while Ganatantra Mancha is the main barrier to the path.

The disagreements have turned serious again after their failure to stop the 12th parliamentary elections as the Jamaat and Ganatantra Mancha leaders think the comparatively weak political strategy and soft programmes

 of BNP were responsible for this.

At the same time, there are two groups of BNP leaders with one seeking to go for a joint movement together with Jamaat ignoring the opinions of Ganatantra Mancha and others to create pressure on the government and the other for maintaining a distance with the Islamist party, the sources added.

In this situation, a BNP central, requesting anonymity, said their party is evaluating the overall situation, including losses and gains, and the benefit of the simultaneous movement with some small political parties.

“After observing the overall situation, our party will decide whether it’ll go for a joint movement with Jamaat and how it’ll convince Ganatantra Mancha in this regard,” he added.

Contacted, BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan declined to make any comment on the issue.

General Secretary of Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh Saiful Huq, one of the top leaders of the Ganatantra Mancha, said they did not hold any formal meeting with BNP in recent weeks.

“They [BNP] are reviewing the aftermath of the election while we’re also reviewing the situation. Currently they’re going in a slow motion. However, we’re still in the simultaneous movement but no simultaneous programme is decided yet,” he added.

Jamaat insiders said they are also unhappy with BNP for not forging any ‘effective and strong’ movement together with the Islamist party. The party also remains away from holding programmes simultaneously with BNP.

“We’re still maintaining communications with BNP and we have also support for the simultaneous movement of the major opposition party,” Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Abdul Halim told the Daily Sun.

After BNP’s 28 October rally in the capital was foiled following a clash between the party activists and law enforcers, the opposition party and its allies observed 23 days of nationwide blockade in 12 phases and five days of hartal in four phases to realise their demands but to no avail.

Insiders said the BNP Standing Committee will hold a meeting this week to decide their next course of action, political strategy, upcoming movement and the mode of their relationship with other opposition parties.