Dhaka, Nov 22 (V7N) — BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that Jamaat-e-Islami has failed to sustain Islamic politics in Bangladesh, claiming that the party has not made any visible contribution to the anti–Sheikh Hasina movement over the past decade.

He made the remarks on Saturday morning at a discussion meeting organized by the Islamic Foundation Caretaker Kalyan Parishad at the Diploma Engineering Institute in the capital.

“Jamaat could not stand Islamic politics. It was Ziaur Rahman who gave them that opportunity. We also worked with them later. But unfortunately, in the last ten years, the party has not done anything visible in the anti–Sheikh Hasina movement,” Fakhrul said.

Criticizing Jamaat’s use of religious sentiment for political appeal, he added,
“I hear people saying that buying a Jamaat ticket means buying a ticket to heaven. Where is that written? Islam does not support exploiting religion for political gain. Islam does not teach deceiving people. These matters must be clearly brought before the public.”

Fakhrul also took aim at Jamaat’s recent political rhetoric, saying that a party that had long been vocal about proportional representation (PR) has now softened its stance. He added that Jamaat is currently preparing to join the elections.

“People at this moment do not understand referendums or PR—the party’s change in tone is clear,” he said.

The BNP leader emphasized that political parties must be transparent with the public and avoid misusing religion for electoral advantage.

END/SMA/AJ