India should not look at Bangladesh from the lens of Awami League and should build ties with all the leading parties of the country, said Nahid Islam, Convenor, National Citizen Party (NCP), who was the face of the July 2024 mass revolution that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
After the formation of the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus in August 2024, Islam served as an adviser holding the portfolios of Information and Broadcasting and Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.
StratNews Global caught up with him during one of his election rallies in Dhaka neighbourhood Merul Badda. He is contesting from Dhaka-11 (Badda-Vatara) under the ‘Shapla Koli’ (Water Lily Bud) electoral symbol.
“India always tries to dominate Bangladesh and India helped the Awami League and established fascism. India is taking the side of a fascist, for a lady who is convicted of carrying out murders and genocide in Bangladesh,” Islam said.
Dressed in light blue kurta while campaigning door-to-door, Islam said, “We want a friendly relationship with India. But this should be based on mutual respect and mutual interest.”
NCP is a major part in the 11-party alliance that is supporting the Jamaat-e-Islami. His campaign emphasises freeing the area from “land-grabbing syndicates” and implementing national reforms to prevent the return of “fascism”.
“Our foreign policy will be based on national dignity and national interest. India is our neighbour. We want friendly relationship with India. The ball is now in India’s court. India should change their Bangladesh policy, their South Asia policy. They (India) should build a relationship with Bangladesh and they should not see through the eyes of Awami League,” he said.
On February 8, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman officially endorsed Nahid Islam at a major rally in Badda, announcing that he would be made a minister if the alliance wins. Other say he could be the Jamaat’s prime ministerial candidate.
Asked about this long-term vision for Bangladesh, Islam said “We want Bangladesh to be a prosperous country. We want to establish justice, rule of law and democracy in this country because we have experienced fascism and authoritarianism for a long.”
He emphasised, “We have to establish democracy and that’s why reform is our main agenda. We can fix our democratic institutions and then of course we want our national dignity and that’s where the question of India comes.”
In his campaign for the February 12 general election, Islam has described the July Charter referendum as a “historic opportunity” to determine Bangladesh’s direction for the next 20 to 30 years.
He has said that a “No” victory would mean the failure of the 2024 July Uprising, as it would leave the “old fascist system” intact. While he initially preferred the referendum to be held before the election, he later accepted holding it on the same day (February 12) as a practical solution.
The July Charter referendum has mainly proposed establishing a bicameral parliament (upper house), enhancement of the President’s power, balance of power across state institutions with greater accountability and formation of an independent Election Commission.
