Bangladesh Constitution has a position on caretaker government in the country, says India

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The Hindu
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The Hindu

The External Affairs Ministry’s comment is the first indirect Indian acknowledgement of matters that are at the heart of the current political tug of war between the ruling Awami League and the Opposition BNP

August 12, 2023  NEW DELHI

Kallol Bhattacherjee
KALLOL BHATTACHERJEE

India on August 11 reminded that the Constitution of Bangladesh “has a position” on the issue of having a caretaker government in the country.

The remark made by the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, brings back focus on the 15th Constitutional amendment of 2011 under which the section on caretaker system in Bangladesh was abolished.

Mr. Bagchi’s comment is the first indirect Indian acknowledgement of matters that are at the heart of the current political tug of war between the ruling Awami League and the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that is demanding that the general election should be held under a caretaker government.

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“We would hope that the elections are held peacefully as they are being scheduled,” said Mr. Bagchi in the weekly press briefing dwelling upon the protest rally held by the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on Friday.

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Protest against government

The Indian acknowledgement of the Bangladesh Constitution’s position on caretaker government came on a day when the BNP took out a protest rally demanding resignation of the Sheikh Hasina government. BNP has maintained that they will boycott the upcoming election if it is held under the present government.

The Hasina government, however, has rejected the demand saying that the Constitution of Bangladesh does not prescribe a caretaker government as a prerequisite for holding general elections. India had till now maintained a studied silence in the heated debate between the Awami League and the BNP on the need for a caretaker government.

The government of Bangladesh has been under increasing pressure in the recent months from the U.S., E.U. and global human rights bodies that have been demanding a free and transparent election that is expected to be announced in October-November.

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Friday’s rally in Dhaka by the BNP was a second such move in a fortnight after a similar protest was organised on July 29. Agriculture Minister and Member of Awami League Presidium Mohammed Abdur Razzaque told The Hindu on phone from Dhaka on Thursday that the Hasina government will not succumb to the BNP’s demand and that the BNP has been sceptical of the election process for nearly two decades.