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Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizens Party (NCP) in their separate meetings with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Sunday struck similar tunes as both demanded banning Jatiya Party, alongside the beleaguered Awami League, on allegation of helping legitimise "illegal elections" under the previous regime.
They also pressed the interim government for fully implementing the July Charter of reforms before announcing the next parliamentary-election schedule.
In back-to-back meetings at the state guesthouse Jamuna, both parties framed the Jatiya Party as an enabler of authoritarianism to underpin their demand.
They also demanded structural changes to secure a credible vote.
Jamaat's Naib-e-Ameer and former MP, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, told reporters: "Just as the fascist Awami League's activities have been banned, the same way the Jatiya Party can also be banned."
He described the recent attack on Nurul Haque Nur, president of Gono Odhikar Parishad, as part of a "deep conspiracy" and urged holding those involved in the assault to account.
The Jamaat delegation, which included Secretary-General and former MP Professor Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary-General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan and Dr Hamidur Rahman Azad, pressed the head of post-uprising government on the July Charter-a reform blueprint hammered out with 31 political parties under the National Consensus Commission.
Taher said more than two-thirds of the parties endorsed 19 major proposals.
"Some parties put notes of dissent, arguing that certain reforms should be left to the next elected government," he said.
"But while consensus has been reached, the Charter has not yet been given legal status, and some parties are obstructing this process. Announcing elections without implementation would be a mistake."
The Islamist party's parallel push for electoral reforms and bans on rivals highlights an uneasy mix of consensus-building and power struggles shaping Bangladesh's political transition from the interregnum.
The NCP struck similar tunes. Briefing journalists after his party's meeting with Yunus, senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adib said rehabilitation and security remained unaddressed a year after the July mass upsurge that toppled the Awami League government.
He called for legal support to expatriates who joined the movement and demanded accountability for state agencies named in the Disappearance Commission's report.
"State agencies influenced past elections," Adib said. "Steps must be taken against them."
The NCP has also urged that the forthcoming elections be held as a Constituent Assembly poll to provide constitutional legitimacy to the July Charter.
On the Jatiya Party, Adib said it had participated in three "illegal elections" to lend them credibility. "Even their posters carried the label of Awami-nominated candidate. There is no difference between the Awami League and the Jatiya Party," he argues, calling for its suspension.
Adib outlines further demands, including reserving 100 parliamentary seats for direct election by women, enfranchising those turning 18 by February, and ensuring free student-union elections at universities.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com