A file picture of author Taslima Nasrin.
| Photograph Credit score: The Hindu
The Bangladesh Nationalist Occasion’s enormous mandate within the current elections is extra a mirrored image of the folks’s dedication to maintain Islamist radicals out of energy than of the social gathering’s recognition, mentioned Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin.
She mentioned that having “Pakistan-backed radicals” like Jamaat-e-Islami because the principal opposition social gathering additionally doesn’t augur nicely for democratic and progressive values.
“You see enormous crowds at Jamaat rallies. However that hasn’t translated to votes. BNP’s outstanding outcomes replicate the Bangladeshi folks’s dedication to not enable Pakistan-backed radicals like Jamaat coming to energy. Additionally, the absence of the Awami League made BNP the one viable alternative for a lot of voters,” Ms. Nasrin advised PTI Movies.
The BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, received a decisive mandate in February 2026, successful 209 of the 298 seats. Its allies picked up one other three seats, giving the block a transparent majority within the 299-member Jatiya Sansad (Bangladesh Parliament).
The Jamaat and allies may bag solely 77, forming the opposition bloc.
The “Lajja” creator expressed hopes that the political in addition to regulation and order state of affairs within the nation will change for the higher beneath the brand new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
“He has been talking of taking everybody alongside, and guaranteeing safety to minorities. Hopefully, the focusing on of Hindus that was rampant beneath the interim authorities of Mohammad Yunus, will now stop,” Ms. Nasrin mentioned.
The 63-year-old, who at present lives in New Delhi, rued not being allowed to go to Kolkata, the place she stays immensely common as an creator.
She was compelled to depart town and transfer to Sweden in 2008, following violent protests by the members of the All-India Minority Discussion board in opposition to her e-book “Dwikhandito.”
“That was throughout the Left regime. However Mamata Banerjee too has not allowed me to return to Kolkata. For somebody so entrenched in Bengali tradition, having to dwell away from Bangladesh and West Bengal is tormenting,” she mentioned.
Drawing a pointy distinction between the circumstances of the Hindu minority of Bangladesh and Muslims in India, Ms. Nasrin famous that Indian Muslims have “equal entry to all advantages as a Hindu and may take authorized recourse when needed”.
“Muslim inhabitants in India will not be declining, and nobody from the neighborhood thinks of migrating to a Muslim nation for a greater life…However are you able to say the identical about Hindus in Bangladesh? Their numbers have declined through the years, as a consequence of migration and different elements. Fairly often, they don’t strategy the courts for concern of persecution when wronged,” Ms. Nasrin mentioned.
Speaking of the Iran state of affairs, Ms. Nasrin mentioned she is not any fan of the “mullah-cracy” that denies equal rights for girls, and enforces the hijab. Nonetheless, she doesn’t help the navy intervention by the U.S. and Israel, which, other than weakening the regime, has resulted within the deaths of lots of of civilians.
“What justification is there to bomb a college and kill over 150 college students? In case your expertise or intelligence is so inaccurate, then higher to maintain away,” she mentioned, referring to the air strike on a college within the Iranian city of Minab on February 28.
Ms. Nasrin has been dwelling in exile since being compelled to depart Bangladesh in 1994, after receiving threats from Islamic fundamentalists for her views about Islam and the Quran.
Printed – March 07, 2026 03:41 pm IST