Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has alleged that certain groups are exerting undue influence and behaving as though they are in power, even though no government has yet been formed.
“We do not want the victory of eight parties; we want the victory of 180 million people of Bangladesh,” he said while addressing a divisional rally organised by the protesting eight-party alliance in Khulna on Monday afternoon at Shibbari intersection. “Some people are showing the arrogance of power without being in power. They are trying to stage an administrative coup. Ahead of the upcoming election, some are weaving a web of conspiracies from behind the scenes.”
Dr Rahman warned that the people would not allow such attempts to succeed. “Friends, the time is up. The day is over, the sun has set. This will not happen in Bangladesh — we will not let it happen, Inshallah,” he said.
The rally was chaired by Islami Andolon Bangladesh Ameer, Pir Saheb Charmonai, Mufti Syed Mohammad Rezaul Karim. Among the special guests were Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Allama Mamunul Haque, Senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana Sakhawat Hossain, Nezam-e-Islam Party Secretary General Mufti Musa bin Izhar, Khelafat Andolon Secretary General Maulana Yusuf Sadiq Haqqani, JAGPA Vice-President and spokesperson Engineer Rashed Prodhan, Bangladesh Development Party (BDP) Chairman Advocate Anwarul Islam Chan, Islami Andolon Bangladesh leaders, and Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and former MP Dr Hamidur Rahman Azad.
The Jamaat chief accused a “particular group” of unleashing extortion, corruption, and disorder since the so-called 5 August “revolution.” Despite not holding office, he said, some are influencing the administration and intimidating people. “People are saying they were not well before, but now they are worse off,” he claimed, adding that no Islamic party has been associated with extortion or wrongdoing during this period.
Addressing youth voters—particularly those under 35 who did not get the chance to vote in the last three elections—he said, “If anyone tries to play games with your vote this time, we will not let it happen. That day, I too will stand as a young man to defend your right to vote.”
He urged young people to prepare themselves for leadership. “I want to hand over this country to you. Prepare yourselves. Do not just seek jobs—become job creators.”
Dr Rahman said that although some visible development has taken place over the past 54 years since independence, the people’s cherished dreams have largely remained unfulfilled. “Development is not real if justice and good governance are absent,” he said.
In his presidential speech, Pir Saheb Charmonai said their alliance was fully prepared for the upcoming election, rejecting claims that they were unready. “It is you who have realised that the ground beneath your feet has shifted. Now you have begun the conspiracies — thinking you can seize centres, deploy musclemen and terrorists, and grab power again. Forget that. You will not get that opportunity anymore,” he warned.
Khelafat Majlis Ameer Allama Mamunul Haque, speaking as a special guest, said post-July Bangladesh appears divided into two camps: “the 1972 Baksal-minded group and the 2024 revolutionary forces.”
He called for a national referendum to give full legal legitimacy to the “July Charter,” adding that the alliance should not dilute its significance by mixing other agendas with it. He also sought prayers for the recovery of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
