Mahi B Chy convinced of anti-state conspiracy in Jatiya Oikya Front
The phone call, made after both the Jatiya Oikya Front and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh held separate press briefings on Saturday, has gone viral on social media
Bikalpahara Bangladesh (BDB) Joint Secretary General Mahi B Chowdhury is convinced that an anti-state conspiracy is behind the recently-formed Jatiya Oikya Front, led by eminent jurist and Gono Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain.
In a leaked phone conversation, Mahi told Nagorik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna on Saturday: “In the name of unity, an anti-state conspiracy is going on.”
The telephone call, made after both the Jatiya Oikya Front and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh (BDB) held separate press briefings on Saturday, has already gone viral on various social media platforms, while Channel24 has run a report on the matter.
In the leaked conversation, Mahi not-only raised questions about the true motives of the coalition, but also slammed Manna for reading out announcements on behalf of Jatiya Oikya Front.
“You (Manna) unwittingly became part of a conspiracy, but the BDB was spared by the grace of the Almighty,” Mahi said during the conversation—adding that the BDB was effectively discarded because other political parties did not consult them before making the recent move.
Speaking about Jatiya Oikya Front, Mahi further said: “You have formed the unity with Dr Kamal Hossain, who dreams of becoming the prime minister. There will be a secret alliance with Jamaat led by him (Dr Kamal Hossain)—we do not want to be a part of it.”
A new political alliance called Jatiya Oikya Front, led by Dr Kamal Hossain, was launched on Saturday—with major opposition BNP as a core partner.
Dr Kamal Hossain’s Gono Forum, BNP, ASM Abdur Rab led Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Mahmudur Rahman Manna-led Nagorik Oikya are members of the platform.
The alliance, however, does not include BDB or its President Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, who also leads Juktofront—which had initially brought together the aforementioned four parties. This situation revealed growing signs of a rift among the political groups.
Around 30 minutes after Dr Kamal’s announcement of the formation of a new alliance, Badruddoza Chowdhury, at a separate press conference on Saturday, said they will not participate in the coalition just to help BNP form a government, and set two conditions for joining the unity.
The telephone conversation between the two politicians occurred after the press conferences concluded.
Having obtained a copy of this leaked audio conversation, the Dhaka Tribune tried to reach out to Mahi B Chowdhury and Mahmudur Rahman Manna for their comments.
Mahi declined to comment by phone and Manna could not be reached till the filing of this report.
