The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is increasing its political and organisational activity as opposition parties led by Jamaat-e-Islami continue a series of programmes, while political activity by the Awami League has also emerged as a concern for the government.

Party sources say BNP leaders have issued organisational instructions to prepare for possible counter-programmes. In Dhaka and several other parts of the country, the party has already begun holding what insiders describe as largely undeclared rallies, processions and other political activities.

BNP leaders, however, reject the suggestion that the party is acting under pressure from rival opposition groups. They say the recent programmes are intended to counter what they describe as misinformation from other opposition parties and to respond politically to activities associated with the Awami League.

The developments come at a sensitive time for the government, with economic pressures, rising living costs and a recent increase in fuel prices adding to the political debate.

BNP focuses on organisational mobilisation

Several BNP leaders told Prothom Alo that the recent rise in fuel prices has created some unease within the party, particularly as households and businesses are already facing wider economic pressures.

Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and several other opposition groups had already been organising demonstrations around the cost of living, energy shortages, law and order and other issues. The fuel price increase has given those parties another issue around which to mobilise public opinion.

Against this backdrop, BNP leaders have been instructed to strengthen organisational activities at district and metropolitan levels, according to party sources.

In recent days, BNP supporters have held rallies and processions in Dhaka and elsewhere. Party insiders describe these activities as part of an effort to maintain a visible political presence while responding to programmes organised by rival opposition groups.

The party also appears to be placing greater emphasis on communication between its central leadership and regional organisations.

Last Friday, BNP leaders held a virtual meeting with party leaders from the Chattogram division. Standing Committee member and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Nazrul Islam Khan, Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Special Secretary Belayet Mridha attended the meeting.

A similar meeting with leaders from the Dhaka division is expected in the coming days, according to party sources. BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman may also participate.

The sequence of meetings indicates an effort to keep the party’s regional structures engaged while the political environment remains fluid.

Opposition groups add fuel prices to campaign

The latest BNP activity comes as an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami has continued its own programme of demonstrations.

The alliance organised long marches from Dhaka towards Chattogram on 5 September and towards Rangpur on 19 September. Its demands included measures to address fuel and electricity shortages, control the prices of essential commodities, improve law and order, and stop corruption and extortion.

The alliance’s coordinator, AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, said during the programmes that the government’s handling of these issues was creating political pressure.

The political debate intensified after fuel prices were raised by Tk20 a litre on 21 September. Jamaat-e-Islami, the NCP, Khelafat Majlis, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and several other parties subsequently organised protests.

The parties argued that higher fuel prices would add to the burden already faced by consumers and could raise transport, agricultural and industrial costs, with possible consequences for the prices of everyday goods.

The government has offered a different explanation for the increase. Officials have pointed to higher international fuel and transport costs amid the conflict in the Middle East. They have also cited the risk of fuel being smuggled to neighbouring countries where prices are higher.

State Minister for Energy Anindya Islam said the government would otherwise have faced an annual subsidy or loss of around Tk40,000 crore on diesel alone and nearly Tk50,000 crore across all petroleum products.

The issue has also drawn attention from the business community. Mohammad Hathem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said the rise in international fuel prices had left the government with limited room to avoid an adjustment. He nevertheless argued that the increase had been too steep and suggested that a smaller rise in diesel prices could have reduced pressure on consumers and factories.

He also called for fuel prices to be adjusted quickly if international prices fall.

BNP rejects the idea of political pressure

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has repeatedly said the BNP’s recent political programmes are not a response to pressure from other opposition parties.

He has argued that the government itself should not be blamed for the rise in fuel prices, attributing the situation to international market conditions and the conflict in the Middle East. According to Rizvi, the government will still incur a substantial loss on diesel even after the price increase.

Explaining the BNP’s wider political activities, Rizvi said rival opposition parties were conducting programmes and spreading what he described as misleading information among the public. The BNP, he said, needed to respond to those claims and present its own position.

He has also accused the Awami League of attempting to create instability through violence and arson, including incidents involving buses and trains. These are allegations made by BNP leaders, and responsibility for individual incidents would need to be established through investigation and evidence.

Awami League activity remains a concern

Recent political activity attributed by BNP leaders to the Awami League has added another layer to the party’s calculations.

BNP policymakers are concerned about reports of violence, arson and unrest in different parts of the country. The party has publicly alleged that Awami League supporters are involved in some of these incidents.

The political significance of such allegations extends beyond individual cases. For the BNP, maintaining political activity while preventing further instability has become an important part of its current organisational strategy.

At the same time, opposition parties led by Jamaat-e-Islami are continuing to focus on economic and governance-related issues. Their campaigns around fuel prices, essential commodities, energy shortages and law and order are creating a different form of political challenge.

A more active political landscape

The BNP’s recent activities therefore come amid several overlapping pressures: rival opposition programmes, rising fuel costs, economic concerns and allegations of political violence.

The party’s leadership insists that its increased activity should not be interpreted simply as a reaction to rival opposition parties. Instead, BNP leaders say they want to counter what they describe as misinformation, respond to political activity associated with the Awami League and ensure that the party’s own position remains visible to the public.

For the opposition groups, meanwhile, fuel prices and the wider cost-of-living situation have become increasingly prominent political issues. That means economic concerns are now closely intertwined with the country’s broader political contest.

With regional organisational meetings continuing and more programmes possible in the coming days, the BNP appears set to maintain a stronger presence on the ground. The competing programmes of the major political groups are likely to keep fuel prices, living costs, law and order and political accountability at the centre of public debate.