Staff Correspondent

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said their party was not invited to the national rally organised by Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan.

“We have been asked why no one of us went to the event (of Jamaat) that is being held in Dhaka. How can we go if we are not invited?” he said while speaking at a seminar in the city’s Banani area.

He also said even if an invitation had been extended, it would not necessarily mean the party would have attended.

Meanwhile, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told the media that only the parties which support the 'proportional representation (PR)' system were invited to the rally.

Another senior Jamaat leader said since BNP is strongly against the PR system, inviting them would have created an uncomfortable situation for both sides.

“Inviting BNP would have been uncomfortable for both parties,” the leader said, preferring not to be named.

BNP and Jamaat were political allies for over two decades since 1999. They even ran a coalition government together from 2001-2006.

However, in December 2022, the alliance was officially dissolved through mutual understanding.

Although the two parties joined the anti-government movement before the 7 January 2024 national election, Jamaat later moved away from BNP’s simultaneous movement after the polls.

Since August 5 last year, political analysts think Jamaat has been trying to present itself as BNP’s main rival in the political field.

Tensions between BNP and Jamaat have increased in recent months, especially ahead of the next general election. The situation worsened further after the recent killing incident at Mitford in Old Dhaka, which put more strain on their already tense relationship.

Jamaat organised the rally to press home its 7-point demand, including holding the next national election under a PR system.

The rally featured speeches by leaders from different political parties, including family members of martyrs, veterans of the 24th July movement, members of Jamaat’s executive council, Nayeb-e-Ameer, secretary and assistant secretary.

Leaders from Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam, Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Nurul Haque Nur, NCP’s Member Secretary Akhter Hossen, Chief Organiser (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, and the father of martyred Abrar also spoke at the rally.