Awami League leaders Hasan Mahmud and Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury claimed the interim government barred the party from contesting polls fearing its popularity.
They said the Muhammad Yunus-led administration is incapable of holding free and fair elections and denying a level playing field.
The leaders also accused the interim government of failing to protect minorities and said the party would return with Sheikh Hasina.
Awami League Claim To Be Barred From Polls Due to Fear of Its Popularity
Party leaders accuse Yunus-led interim govt of blocking free and fair elections.
Summary
Bangladesh's interim government barred Awami League from contesting the upcoming parliamentary polls as it feared the party's popularity, two senior leaders of the party said on Saturday.
Awami League leaders Hasan Mahmud and Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury also said that the Muhammad Yunus-led interim govt in Dhaka is incapable of holding free and fair polls in the country.
"Under this administration, a level playing field for Awami League will never be possible," Mahmud, who was a minister in the Sheikh Hasina-led government, said at a media briefing in New Delhi.
"We do want to participate in the election, we came to power all the time through elections, we believe in people's power," he said.
Hasina, 78, has been living in India after she fled Dhaka following collapse of her government in August, 2024 in the face of a massive anti-government agitation.
Additionally, Mahmud and Chowdhury charged that the Yunus-led government was neglecting to safeguard Bangladesh's minorities.
According to Mahmud, the Awami League was prohibited from running for office due to the party's popularity.
"There must be rule of law. We shall definitely return to the country along with Sheikh Hasina, our leader," he said. P
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