When arch political rivals the Awami League and the BNP look for more parties to join their respective alliances ahead of national elections, left-leaning parties want to move alone. Although the ruling party has expressed the hope of uniting with left-leaning political parties before the polls, the left-leaning political parties are ‘not very interested’ to forge unity with the Awami League. Leaders of left parties told The Independent that they have no interest in forging unity with the ruling party. Instead, leasers of the left-leaning parties said they plan to wage a movement against the incumbent government before the election.  

In the first week of October, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader had said that the party is ready to forge unity with left-leaning political parties based on consensus on the issues of the Liberation War and Bangabandhu. “It’s a matter of great pleasure that the leftists are also saying that they won’t form any unity with communal forces… Let’s forge maximum unity on minimum points,” he said at a programme at the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh,

marking the 51st founding anniversary of the Samyabadi Dal of Bangladesh. Talking to this correspondent, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) president, Mujahidul Islam Selim, said: “We will not forge any unity either with the AL or BNP. We are trying to forge a unity with those who really believe in the spirit of the Liberation War. And now we are waging a movement against the misrule of the present government. Both the AL and BNP have moved far away from the actual spirit of the Liberation War and that’s why we are not interested in forging unity with them.”

 About AL general secretary Obaidul Quader’s recent visit to his office, Selim said the visit was merely a courtesy call. The CPB recently floated an alliance with seven other left-leaning parties to participate in the coming national elections.  When contacted, Ganatantrik Bam Morcha coordinator Junaid Saki said: “There is no chance of forging unity with the Awami League. But we are trying to reach a national consensus in a bid to force the government to hold a free, fair and credible election.”

 “We are not interested in forging unity for the next polls… we want unity for a fair election, for upholding democracy,” he said, adding that there is no alternative to waging a tough movement against the government to force it to hold a free and fair election.

 “We are on the street and will be on the street… we welcome others to join us to force the government to make the next polls a fair one,” he said.

 The AL plans to make the general election inclusive and acceptable to all, with the participation of all small political parties giving them necessary support.

 In the last elections held on January 5, 2014, only seven registered political parties out of the total 40, joined the polls.  The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP had boycotted the elections and the Awami League had won more than 150 seats unopposed in a House of 300.  AL insiders said they will try to bring all registered political parties in the coming general election in a bid to make it an inclusive one, as they had lost the support of the international community by holding the January 5 elections unilaterally. At that time the AL had claimed that the polls were held for constitutional continuation.

 Talking to The Independent, a central leader of the ruling party, wishing anonymity, said they are talking to chiefs of all political parties, except the BNP, to take part in the next polls in a bid to make it participatory.  “We will give necessary support and benefits for joining the next polls. And I hope the next polls will be inclusive and no one can raise questions about the polls,” the AL leader said.

 As part of the party’s plan, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader recently spoke to chiefs of some small political parties, including CPB president, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) president Khalequzzaman and freedom fighter and Krishok Sramik Janata League president Abdul Kader Siddique.