Left-leaning partners in the ruling Awami League-led alliance continued to oppose the inclusion of religion-based political parties in the alliance.
The Awami League had earlier proposed that some Islamist parties might be included in the alliance to widen it.
The left parties in the alliance continued to oppose the proposal saying that the non-communal and democratic character of the alliance would be hampered if ‘communal’ and religion-based political parties were included.
Islamic Front Bangladesh leaders joined a meeting of the alliance in June. As leaders of the left parties opposed it, alliance coordinator Mohammad Nasim, also Awami League presidium member and the health minister, assured them that the issue of inclusion of Islamist parties in the alliance would finalised after talking with the leaders.
Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon, also the civil aviation and tourism minister, at a meeting at League president Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office on Sunday raised the issue.
The non-communal and democratic character of the alliance would be hampered if Islamist parties are
included in the alliance, he said.
Inclusion of religion-based parties in the alliance would be contrary to the 23-point programmes of the alliance, Menon said.
After the meeting, Mohammad Nasim at a briefing thanked prime minister Sheikh Hasina for taking steps to suspend the full implementation of a
2012 law on value-added tax.
Chaired by Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction general secretary Shirin Akhter, the meeting was also attended, among others, by AL central leaders BM Mozammel Haque, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Samyabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua, Communist Kendra joint convener Asit Baran Roy and National Awami Party faction leader Ismail Hossain.
Source: New Age
