New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) The knives are out with barely two weeks left for the Bangladesh general election, where the players themselves call out administrative faults. Political tensions, religious intolerance, economic anxieties, and a widening civic squeeze have converged into a chorus of alarm from political leaders, observers, the media, and civil society voices across Bangladesh.

A Dhaka Tribune editorial on Thursday expressed concerns about “the warning signs of a shrinking media freedom in Bangladesh”.

Referring to “targeted attacks on this institution, like the recent cases”, which “should evoke more outrage”, the newspaper added: “Allowing the media to operate without fear of censorship, coercion, or intimidation leads citizens to be better informed and public discourse to be strengthened.”

The country’s media has been highlighting a set of interlocking crises – a slowing economy, rising religious intolerance and political rhetoric, setbacks on gender equality, and mounting concerns about media freedom, free speech and equal application of the law.

Reports and editorials point to stagnant growth, rising costs, and limited or no relief from recent policy moves, leaving households and businesses anxious as the election approaches.

Adding to the alarm, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus publicly warned that the country’s international credibility is being damaged by widespread document fraud. He has bluntly called Bangladesh “the world champion in fraud”, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune, saying forged certificates and passports are harming citizens abroad.

Additionally, women’s voices are being described as a gap between political promises and lived realities. Rights activists have questioned safety in public spaces, equal pay, childcare support, and women’s access to justice and meaningful representation in political life.

“As Bangladesh moves towards the February 12 national election, women, who make up half the electorate, say political rhetoric no longer moves them,” observed Dhaka-based The Daily Star, which also had witnessed intense mob fury recently.

“But rising violence, a shrinking civic space, job losses, economic insecurity, continued neglect of women’s health, and the shelving of 423 recommendations by the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission have widened the gap between promises and delivery, with women paying the price in their daily lives,” it reported on Thursday, after speaking to 20 women across professions and backgrounds.

Meanwhile, reports from the campaign trail and party briefings show religious rhetoric and identity politics surfacing as potent electoral tools. Mob brutality and lynching of minorities are making regular headlines these days, with the ghastly December visual of a hanging Dipu Das engulfed in flames shocking the world.

Late last week, an article on the Banglanews24 website cited a study by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) highlighting the rise of religious politics. “The reason for this is the absence of a democratic political environment in the country for a long time, the impact of religious fanaticism and the rise of radical political forces in the domestic, regional and international arena have created this adverse situation in the country,” it observed.

On Wednesday, Dhaka Tribune reported the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) accusing once-ally Jamaat-e-Islami of spreading “fascist propaganda”, political double standards, and misleading narratives to influence voters in the upcoming election.

Incidentally, the Jamaat has faced a series of bans and legal challenges, with the initial restriction imposed in 1972 for “misusing religion for political purposes”. It has since been involved in various political and legal disputes.

The last Awami League government of now-in-exile former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had also imposed a ban due to the Jamaat’s perceived threat to public security and its alleged pro-Pakistan role in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. After Hasina’s government was deposed in 2024, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration lifted the ban, and the party’s registration was restored following a Supreme Court decision.

Now, the Jamaat will contest the February polls after a gap of about 17 years, marking its return to mainstream politics in Bangladesh.

Wednesday’s Dhaka Tribune report quoted BNP Chairperson’s Adviser and party election steering committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin, accusing the Jamaat, while holding ministerial posts between 2001 and 2006, of having raised no objections about corruption during that period. “Now, in the election field, they are continuing the same old fascist propaganda, which is nothing but blatant political hypocrisy,” he said.

–IANS

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