Chief advisor. Muhammad Yunus said, Awami League will be welcomed to participate in the elections. However, the condition is that, before this, the prosecution of all the Awami League and their associates involved in the incident of casualties in the student movement will be ensured. He said these things in an interview given to the influential American magazine Time on Thursday (November 21).
Dr. in the interview. Yunus said that the Awami League will be welcomed to participate in the elections after the trial of those involved in the killing and torture of the student movement. He said, they can participate in the elections freely like anyone else. We will fight against them politically.
In the interview, he said about the July-August student movement, cartoons of Sheikh Hasina have been drawn on the streets of Dhaka for miles. People expressed their anger through this movement.
But the Nobel laureate is ready to forgive the youth about the language of the mural. He told Time magazine, these words are very explosive. But young people have ideas, ambitions and dreams in their brains. They have envisioned their future in these murals, which have never been seen before in Bangladesh.
Yunus said the previous government created a completely repressive environment. Murders, disappearances, destroyed every institution. It was a fascist regime.
Dr. about the context of taking over the responsibility of the interim government. Yunus said, first I wanted to avoid responsibility. I said, find someone else. But then I thought, out of respect for those who sacrificed their lives, I will try my best.
Dr. Sheikh Hasina's position in India and her speech. Yunus said, he has not only taken refuge in India, but is spreading misinformation against the government. This has caused major problems for us.
According to the report, the controversial legitimacy of the interim government is disputed. But US support—such as Yunus' meeting with President Joe Biden in September—has been instrumental in maintaining the confidence of institutions like the World Bank and the IMF. But Donald Trump's potential return to power in January has caused deep concern.
In late October, Trump condemned the violence against minorities in Bangladesh in an X-A post, writing, “Bangladesh is in total chaos.”
Yunus' relationship with Trump is also complicated. He described Trump's victory in 2016 as 'terrible'. But Yunus is confident that he can establish a business relationship with Trump. He said, 'We are not asking for help; We want a business partner.'
It is said that Awami League and Indian influential circles are lobbying Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Bangladesh.
Criticism of the interim government's reform initiatives has also emerged in the report. It said that doubts are being raised because the reform process is slow. Drafting of a new constitution is underway, but whether it will go for a presidential or parliamentary system is still under discussion. AKM Wahiduzzaman, secretary of information and technology affairs of BNP, said that six reform commissions have been formed without discussing with any political party. It indicates autocratic attitude.
However, unwilling to rush the election, Dr. Yunus said, first the rail should be fixed, so that the train runs in the right direction. So no date has been set yet.
According to the report, the GDP of Bangladesh has reached 460 billion dollars in 2022 from 71 billion dollars in 2006. Dr. Yunus knows that improving the quality of life of the people is the only way, so that dictatorship does not return again. He said, the root of this revolution is reform. So we call it Bangladesh 2.0.
Time's report also said that if the Awami League is completely excluded, it may be difficult to establish national unity. Many party leaders say they are being punished collectively.
