Sheikh Hasina's Party Slams 'Fascist' Yunus After Poll Announcement: 'Serves Foreign Interests'
Sheikh Hasina's banned Awami League accused Muhammad Yunus of spreading lies to cover up his failures and accused his government of serving foreign interests.
Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League criticised Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of spreading lies and misinformation during his address to the nation, where he announced that Bangladesh's general elections will be held in April 2026.
After immense pressure from the Army and political parties, Yunus said the next national election will be held in the first half of April 2026. He assured that his government is taking necessary steps to ensure a proper election environment, emphasising that flawed elections have been the main cause of major national crises in Bangladesh.
'We want an election that honours the sacrifices of the martyrs. One with the highest number of voters, candidates, and parties participating. Let this be remembered as the freest and fairest election the nation has seen," he said.
The Awami League strongly condemned his address, saying Yunus was trying to cover up his failures by blaming the previous Awami League government and creating a false narrative of crisis.
'No Public Mandate, Economy In Ruins'
Hasina's party, which was banned from contesting the elections after the former PM was ousted in student-led protests last year, said Bangladesh's economy has deteriorated under Yunus's interim regime, with industries being shut down, investment stalled and unemployment rising.
It accused the interim government of rampant corruption and tax favouritism, including a tax waiver of Tk 666 crore for Yunus himself and tax exemption for Grameen Bank. 'In the name of development, they will hand over important national assets and infrastructure to serve foreign interests," it said.
Furthermore, the Awami League claimed Yunus' government lacked democratic legitimacy and served foreign interests rather than those of the people of Bangladesh. It warned that several interim government members had foreign passports and would leave the country after causing irreversible damage.
'To protect our future, we must act now. There is no alternative to a united struggle by all patriots to save our country from the clutches of these vultures. If we can all stay united and continue this fight, we will, Inshallah, be able to defeat this evil, anti-national force," it said.
What Did Yunus Say In His Speech?
Yunus highlighted the immense public and political interest in Bangladesh's next national election, emphasising the government's role in institutional reform to prevent future crises.
'Hold your candidates and political parties accountable, demand firm pledges that the agreed-upon reforms will be passed in the very first session of the new parliament, without compromise. Demand that they never bargain away the country's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national dignity to any foreign power," he was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.
'Ask them to lead with honesty and transparency, and to reject all forms of corruption, favoritism, extortion, syndicates, and violence," he added, promising to build a 'New Bangladesh'.
First Published:
June 07, 2025, 07:07 IST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Donald Trump administration expands militarised zones to 1/3 of southern US border, stirs controversy
Orange no-entry signs posted by the US military in English and Spanish dot the New Mexico desert, where a border wall cuts past onion fields and parched ranches with tufts of tall grass growing amidst wiry brush and yucca trees. It's part of a major shift that has thrust the military into border enforcement with Mexico like never before.(AFP) The Army has posted thousands of the warnings in New Mexico and western Texas, declaring a 'restricted area by authority of the commander'. It's part of a major shift that has thrust the military into border enforcement with Mexico like never before. The move places long stretches of the border under the supervision of nearby military bases, empowering US troops to detain people who enter the country illegally and sidestep a law prohibiting military involvement in civilian law enforcement. It is done under the authority of the national emergency on the border declared by President Donald Trump on his first day in office. US authorities say the zones are needed to close gaps in border enforcement and help in the wider fight against human smuggling networks and brutal drug cartels. The militarisation is being challenged in court, and has been criticised by civil rights advocates, humanitarian aid groups and outdoor enthusiasts who object to being blocked from public lands while troops have free rein. Abbey Carpenter, a leader of a search-and-rescue group for missing migrants, said public access is being denied across sweltering stretches of desert where migrant deaths have surged. 'Maybe there are more deaths, but we don't know," she said. Military expansion Two militarised zones form a buffer along 230 miles of border, from Fort Hancock, Texas, through El Paso and westward across vast New Mexico ranchlands. The Defense Department added an additional 250-mile zone last week in Texas' Rio Grande Valley and plans another near Yuma, Arizona. Combined, the zones will cover nearly one-third of the US border with Mexico. They are patrolled by at least 7,600 members of the armed forces, vastly expanding the US government presence on the border. Reaction to the military buffer has been mixed among residents of New Mexico's rural Luna County, where a strong culture of individual liberty is tempered by the desire to squelch networks bringing migrants and contraband across the border. 'We as a family have always been very supportive of the mission, and very supportive of border security,' said James Johnson, a fourth-generation farmer overseeing seasonal labourers as they filled giant plastic crates with onions, earning USD 22 per container. Military deployments under prior presidents put 'eyes and ears' on the border, Johnson said. This version is 'trying to give some teeth'. But some hunters and hikers fear they're being locked out of a rugged and cherished landscape. 'I don't want to go down there with my hunting rifle and all of a sudden somebody rolls up on me and says that I'm in a military zone,' said Ray Trejo, a coordinator for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and a Luna County commissioner. 'I don't know if these folks have been taught to deescalate situations.' A former public school teacher of English as a second language, Trejo said military trespassing charges seem inhumane in an economy built on immigrant farm labour. 'If the Army, Border Patrol, law enforcement in general are detaining people for reasons of transporting, of human smuggling, I don't have a problem,' he said. 'But people are coming into our country to work, stepping now all of a sudden into a military zone, and they have no idea.' Nicole Wieman, an Army command spokesperson, said the Army is negotiating possible public access for recreation and hunting, and will honour private rights to grazing and mining. Increased punishment More than 1,400 migrants have been charged with trespassing on military territory, facing a possible 18-month prison sentence for a first offense. That's on top of an illegal entry charge that brings up to six months in custody. After that, most are turned over to US Customs and Border Protection for likely deportation. There have been no apparent arrests of US citizens. At a federal courthouse in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on the banks of the Upper Rio Grande, migrants in drab county jail jumpsuits and chains filed before a magistrate judge on a recent weekday. A 29-year-old Guatemalan woman struggled to understand instructions through a Spanish interpreter as she pleaded guilty to illegal entry. A judge set aside military trespassing charges for lack of evidence, but sentenced her to two weeks in jail before being transferred for likely deportation. 'She sells pottery, she's a very simple woman with a sixth-grade education,' a public defence attorney told the judge. 'She told me she's going back and she's going to stay there.' Border crossings Border Patrol arrests along the southern border this year have dropped to the lowest level in six decades, including a 30 per cent decrease in June from the prior month as attempted crossings dwindle. On June 28, the Border Patrol made only 137 arrests, a stark contrast with late 2023, when arrests topped 10,000 on the busiest days. The first militarised zones, introduced in April and May, extend west of El Paso past factories and cattle yards to partially encircle the New Mexico border village of Columbus, and its 1,450 residents. It was here that Mexican revolutionary forces led by Pancho Villa crossed into the US in a deadly 1916 raid. These days, a port of entry at Columbus is where hundreds of children with US citizenship cross daily from a bedroom community in Mexico to board public school buses and attend classes nearby. Columbus Mayor Philip Skinner, a Republican, says he's seen the occasional military vehicle but no evidence of disruption in an area where illegal crossings have been rare. 'We're kind of not tuned in to this national politics,' Skinner said. Oversight is divided between US Army commands in Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The militarised zones sidestep the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that prohibits the military from conducting civilian law enforcement on US soil. Russell Johnson, a rancher and former Border Patrol agent, said he welcomes the new militarised zone where his ranch borders Mexico on land leased from the Bureau of Land Management. 'We have seen absolutely almost everything imaginable that can happen on the border, and most of it's bad,' he said, recalling off-road vehicle chases on his ranch and lifeless bodies recovered by Border Patrol. In late April, he said, five armoured military vehicles spent several days at a gap in the border wall, where construction was suspended at the outset of the Biden presidency. But, he said, he hasn't seen much of the military in recent weeks. 'The only thing that's really changed is the little extra signage,' he said. 'We're not seeing the military presence out here like we kind of anticipated." Court challenges Federal public defenders have challenged the military's new oversight of public land in New Mexico, seizing on the arrest of a Mexican man for trespassing through remote terrain to test the legal waters. They decried the designation of a new military zone without congressional authorization 'for the sole purpose of enabling military action on American soil' as "a matter of staggering and unpreceded political significance.' A judge has not ruled on the issue. In the meantime, court challenges to trespassing charges in the militarised zone have met with a mixture of convictions and acquittals at trial. Ryan Ellison, the top federal prosecutor in New Mexico, won trespassing convictions in June against two immigrants who entered a militarised zone again after an initial warning. 'There's not going to be an issue as to whether or not they were on notice,' he told a recent news conference. American Civil Liberties Union attorney Rebecca Sheff says the federal government is testing a more punitive approach to border enforcement with the new military zones and worries it will be expanded border-wide. 'To the extent the federal government has aspirations to establish a much more hostile military presence along the border, this is a vehicle that they're pushing on to potentially do so. … And that's very concerning,' she said.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Chopper, drones and sniffer dogs deployed in J-K's Kishtwar to smoke out Jaish operatives on day 3
A massive search operation to track down terrorists hiding in the forests of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district entered its third day on Friday, with security forces deploying helicopters, drones, sniffer dogs and additional troops to strengthen the ongoing cordon, officials said. A security personnel stands guard near the site of the encounter, at Gujjarpati area in Sopore, Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir,(PTI) The operation began after an encounter broke out on Wednesday evening between security personnel and terrorists in the dense Kanzal Mandu forest area of the Kuchal-Chatroo belt. 'The encounter began around 7:45 PM when police, assisted by the Army and CRPF, launched a cordon and search operation in Kuchal based on intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area,' news agency PTI quoted an official as saying. Security forces believe that two to three terrorists may still be hiding in the forest region, prompting an expansion of the search area deeper into Chatroo's rugged terrain. Also Read | Encounter breaks out between security forces and terrorists in J&K's Kishtwar This was the second terror-related encounter in the Jammu region within a week. On June 26, a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist was killed in Udhampur district's Basantgarh area, while three others escaped into the surrounding forests. Officials said that all possible surveillance and tracking resources are also being used to prevent the terrorists from slipping through the cordon. Two top Jaish terrorists may be hiding According to a PTI report, two top Jaish terrorists — Saifullah and Adil — may be hiding in the hills of Kishtwar and are believed to be part of the group involved in the ongoing encounter. Also Read | Security forces continue searches in Kishtwar to track down Jaish ultras 'The terrorists opened fire on noticing the search parties, leading to a gunfight which was continuing when last reports came in,' an official earlier said. Security forces quickly sent more troops to the area to strengthen the cordon and prevent the terrorists from escaping. 'Reinforcements have been rushed to the area to maintain a tight cordon and neutralise the terrorists, who are affiliated with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit,' the official added. This is the second encounter in Jammu in the last week. On June 26, one Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist was killed by security forces in Udhampur's Basantgarh area, while three others managed to escape into the nearby forest.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
BJP's Samik Bhattacharya counters Mamata's migrant harassment claims, cites Tamil Nadu's ID checks uncovering fake Bengal documents
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claims of migrant laborer harassment in BJP-ruled states have been countered by the newly elected BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, citing identity checks in Tamil Nadu where Bangladeshi nationals with fake IDs were found. The BJP criticizes Banerjee's government over women's safety, infiltration, and vote-bank politics, vowing to bring change in the 2026 elections. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that migrant labourers are being detained, confined, and harassed in several BJP-ruled states. Responding to the claims, newly elected BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya pointed out that identity checks on migrant workers are being conducted in Tamil Nadu , a non-BJP-ruled state, where several Bangladeshi nationals with fake identity cards have been found."Tamil Nadu is a non-BJP-ruled state, and identity cards are being checked regularly. Migrant workers with fake identity cards from Siliguri and Barasat in Bengal have been identified," Bhattacharya July 3, West Bengal Chief Secretary wrote a letter to his Odisha counterpart, Manoj Ahuja, expressing concern about the continued 'harassment' faced by migrant labourers from West Bengal in Odisha.'I write to you with deep anguish and serious concern regarding the continuing harassment faced by people from West Bengal who have migrated to various parts of Odisha for livelihood. These individuals, including daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers, domestic workers, and long-settled families, have contributed meaningfully to Odisha's workforce and socio-economic fabric,' Pant wrote in the to that, around 300–400 migrant workers from Bengal were rescued and released from Rajasthan in less than a year to go for the 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal, the BJP announced Samik Bhattacharya as its new West Bengal after taking over as state president on Thursday, said that under West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's regime, the state has returned to the dark chapters of Bengal's history in 1946 in terms of women's former Union Minister and BJP's chief election officer Ravi Shankar Prasad , who was in Kolkata to make the announcement, slammed Mamata Banerjee over the recent South Kolkata law college rape case, lack of women's safety, infiltration, and vote-bank politics in a message of communal harmony, Bhattacharya, after receiving the new post, said during a felicitation ceremony on Thursday, 'BJP's fight is not against minorities. We want to witness a Bengal where Durga Puja and Muharram rallies will be celebrated together.'Bhattacharya, the 61-year-old BJP leader and a veteran known for his oratorical skills, is a Rajya Sabha MP. He had been part of the delegation that visited Pahalgam after the terror attack recollected how he started his journey as a party worker in South Howrah several decades ago and became the state president today. 'It took me several minutes to sink in that I will be the new Bengal president of BJP,' Bhattacharya Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the Mamata Banerjee government over the law college rape case. Prasad said, 'It was a shame on the state government.''Mamata Banerjee is responsible for large-scale infiltration in Bengal. Banerjee has kept the gate open. When will the door close?' Prasad questioned. He also criticised vote-bank politics, infiltration, loot, and the recent incident of violence in said this would only change when power at the helm changes. 'With Bengali 'asmita', in the coming days, a change will be witnessed in Bengal,' Prasad of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said he would extend full support and that the party would ensure the removal of the Mamata Banerjee government in state president Sukanta Majumdar also said that the state is set to witness a change of power in 2026, and all will fight together.
