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The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a
centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
to
right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major political parties of Bangladesh. It was founded on 1 September 1978 by former Bangladeshi President
Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup ...
after the Presidential election of 1978, with a view of uniting the people with a
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
ideology. Since then, the BNP won the second, fifth, sixth and eighth national elections and two Presidential elections in 1978 and 1981. The party also holds the record of being the largest opposition in the history of parliamentary elections of the country, with 116 seats in the seventh national election of June 1996. It has currently 7 MPs in parliament after 2018 general election. Although the party was initially founded on a nationalistic principle, many of its leaders want an Islamic government and its main supporters are Islamists.


Ideology

The party holds the ideology of
Bangladeshi nationalism Bangladeshi nationalism is an ideology that promotes the territorial identity of Bangladeshis. The ideology emerged during the late 1970s, popularized by former Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman. The history of nationalism in the country dates ...
as its core concept and adopted a 19-point program which declared that "The sovereignty and independence of Bangladesh, golden fruits of the historic liberation struggle, is our sacred trust and inviolable right". The founding manifesto of the BNP claims that the people of Bangladesh want to "...see that all-out faith and confidence in the almighty Allah, democracy, nationalism and socialism of social and economic justice are reflected in all spheres of national life". BNP and its student wing was the driving force in the 1990 uprising against the autocratic Ershad rule that culminated in the fall of the regime and the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh. Begum Khaleda Zia, who served as the party's chairperson from 1983, was elected as the first woman
Prime Minister of Bangladesh The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা ...
and the second female Prime Minister of a Muslim majority country after Pakistan's
Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...
. Begum Khaleda Zia is the chairperson of the party, with Tarique Rahman as the senior vice-chairman and
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (born 26 January 1948) is a Bangladeshi politician. He has been the secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 2016. He was a member of the parliament for Thakurgaon-1 constituency from 2001 to ...
as the secretary-general.


History


JAGODAL

On 22 February 1978, a new party, Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal (JAGODAL), was formed with Justice Abdus Sattar as the coordinator. Most of the prominent figures were from the advisory council that was running the country at that time. Jagadal was the first attempt to create a platform for the nationalists of the country. Major General (retd) M.Majid ul Haq, Professor Syed Ali Ahsan, Shamsul Alam Chowdhury, A.Z.M. Enayetullah Khan,
M. Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, Sitara-e-Harb, BP ( bn, এম হামিদুল্লাহ খান; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and th ...
, Jakaria Chowdhury, Professor Dr. M. R. Khan, and Saifur Rahman were prominent figures. JAGODAL was dissolved on 28 August 1978 to consolidate its membership under the newly formed Jatiyatabadi Front.


Jatiyatabadi Front

On 1 May 1978 the Jatiyatabadi Front or Nationalist Front was formed with Ziaur Rahman as the chief of the front, which JAGODAL joined soon after its formation. A major portion of NAP (Bhashani) joined the front as well with Mashiur Rahman. Shah Azizur Rahman with some of his colleagues from Muslim League.
Kazi Zafar Ahmed Kazi Zafar Ahmad (; 1 July 193927 August 2015) was a Bangladeshi politician of the Jatiya Party, who was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1989 to 1990. Early life Ahmed was born in 1939, in village: Kazi Bari Cheora Chauddagram Upazila, C ...
and a faction of United Peoples Party, Maolana Matin with his Labour Party, and minority leader Rashraj Mandal with Tafsili Jati Federation also joined. Ziaur Rahman was their candidate for the Presidential Election of 3 June 1978. Ziaur Rahman won the election, defeating
M. A. G. Osmani Muhammad Ataul Goni Osmani ( bn, মুহাম্মদ আতাউল গণি ওসমানী; 1 September 1918 – 16 February 1984), also known as ''Bangabir'' (the Hero of Bengal), was a Bengali military leader. Osmani's career ...
of Ganatantrik Oikya Jote (United Democratic Alliance) which was backed by the Bangladesh Awami League.


Formation of BNP

After the Presidential election of 1978 the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was established on 1 September. The constitution of the party was drafted in 21 days of the formation with 76 members with
Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup ...
as the chief convener,
M. Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, Sitara-e-Harb, BP ( bn, এম হামিদুল্লাহ খান; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and th ...
as the Executive Secretary and Dr.
A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury Abdul Qasim Mohammad Badruddoza Chowdhury (known as AQM Badrudozza Chowdhury; ; born 1 November 1932) served as the President of Bangladesh from 14 November 2001 until his resignation on 21 June 2002. He was the founding secretary-general of B ...
was appointed as the Secretary General. Founding convening committee *
Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup ...
* Justice Abdus Sattar * Syed Masud Roomy * Mashiur Rahman *
M. Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, Sitara-e-Harb, BP ( bn, এম হামিদুল্লাহ খান; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and th ...
* Shah Azizur Rahman *
Mohammad Mohammadullah Mohammad Mohammadullah ( bn, মোহাম্মদ মুহম্মদুল্লাহ; 21 October 1921 – 12 November 1999) was the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Mohammadullah became the Acting President on 24 Decemb ...
*
Abdul Halim Chowdhury Abdul Halim Chowdhury (1 February 1928 – 7 October 1987) was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician, Member of Parliament, and government minister. He is a retired captain of Pakistan Army and fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Earl ...
* Rashraj Mandal *
Abdul Momen Khan Abdul Momen Khan (1 October 1919 – 12 December 1984) was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician. Education and career While a student, Khan was elected the first Speaker of the Students Union of the newly founded Fazlul Huq Hall of the U ...
*
Mirza Ghulam Hafiz Mirza Ghulam Hafiz (2 January 192020 December 2000) was a Bangladeshi statesman, politician, and philanthropist. Early life and education Hafiz was born to Mirza Azimuddin Sarkar on 2 January 1920 in Panchagarh District, East Bengal, Britis ...
* Major General (retd.)
Majid-ul-Haq Major General Majid-ul-Haq (1926 - 25 March 2013) was a Bangladeshi Army officer and a minister of the Government of Bangladesh. Early life Haq was born in Magura in 1926. He grew up in Delhi where his father was working in the Indian Centra ...
* Brigadier (retd.) Nurul Islam Shishu * Captain (retd.) Nurul Huq * Mohammad Saifur Rahman * K. M. Obaidur Rahman * Moudud Ahmed * Shamsul Huda Chowdhury * A.Z.M. Enayetullah Khan * S. A. Bari * Dr. Amina Rahman * Abdur Rahman * Dr. M. A. Matin * Abdul Alim * Barrister Abul Hasnat * Anwar Hossain Manju * Jamal Uddin Ahmed * Dr.
A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury Abdul Qasim Mohammad Badruddoza Chowdhury (known as AQM Badrudozza Chowdhury; ; born 1 November 1932) served as the President of Bangladesh from 14 November 2001 until his resignation on 21 June 2002. He was the founding secretary-general of B ...
* Nur Mohammad Khan * Abdul Karim * Shamsul Bari * Mojibur Rahman * Dr. Faridul Huda * Sheikh Ali Ashraf * Abdur Rahman Biswas * Barrister Abdul Huq * Imran Ali Sarker * Dewan Sirajul Huq * Emdadur Rahman * M. Afsar Uddin * Kabir Chowdhury * Dr. M. R. Khan * Captain (retd.) Sujat Ali * Tushar Kanti Baroi * Sunil Gupta * Anisur Rahman * Abul Kashem * Mansur Ali Sarker * Abdul Hamid Chowdhury * Mansur Ali * Julmat Ali Khan *
Nazmul Huda Nazmul Huda (born 6 January 1943) is a Bangladeshi barrister and politician. He served as the minister of information (1991–1996) and the minister of communications (2001–2006) of the government of Bangladesh. He was a 4-term Jatiya Sangsa ...
* Mahbub Ahmed * Abu Said Khan * Mohammad Ismail * Sirajul Huq Mantu * Shah Badrul Huq * Abdur Rauf * Morsheduzzaman * Jahir Uddin Khan * Sultan Ahmed Chowdhury * Toriqul Islam * Anwarul H Khan Chowdhury * Moin Uddin Khan * M. A. Sattar * Haji Jalal * Ahmed Ali Mandal * Shahed Ali * Abdul Wadud * Shah Abdul Halim *
Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar BarristerMuhammad Jamiruddin Sircar ( bn, এডভোকেট মুহাম্মদ জমির উদ্দিন সরকার; born 1 December 1931); is a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician who served as the acting President of Bangla ...
* Atauddin Khan * Abdur Razzaq Chowdhury * Ahmed Ali The BNP formed its first government after the 1979 Bangladeshi general election. The first session of the parliament was 2 April 1979. It elected Shah Azizur Rahman as Prime Minister and leader of the parliament.
Mirza Ghulam Hafiz Mirza Ghulam Hafiz (2 January 192020 December 2000) was a Bangladeshi statesman, politician, and philanthropist. Early life and education Hafiz was born to Mirza Azimuddin Sarkar on 2 January 1920 in Panchagarh District, East Bengal, Britis ...
was elected as the speaker of the parliament. Asaduzzaman Khan from the Awami League became the leader of the opposition. During this time it attracted a large pool of supporters and activists who joined the newly formed students wing and youth wing. After the formation of the government, the first executive committee of the party was declared. A national standing committee was formed as the highest decision-making forum of the party with 12 members. Founding National Standing Committee *
Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup ...
* Abdus Sattar * Shah Azizur Rahman * Major General (retd.)
Majid-ul-Haq Major General Majid-ul-Haq (1926 - 25 March 2013) was a Bangladeshi Army officer and a minister of the Government of Bangladesh. Early life Haq was born in Magura in 1926. He grew up in Delhi where his father was working in the Indian Centra ...
* Abdur Razzaq Chowdhury * Sheikh Razzak Ali * Barrister
Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar BarristerMuhammad Jamiruddin Sircar ( bn, এডভোকেট মুহাম্মদ জমির উদ্দিন সরকার; born 1 December 1931); is a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician who served as the acting President of Bangla ...
* Ekramul Huq * Dr.
A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury Abdul Qasim Mohammad Badruddoza Chowdhury (known as AQM Badrudozza Chowdhury; ; born 1 November 1932) served as the President of Bangladesh from 14 November 2001 until his resignation on 21 June 2002. He was the founding secretary-general of B ...
* Syed Muhibul Hasan * Amina Rahman * A.S.M. Yusuf * Barrister Nazmul Huda A youth wing was formed in September 1978 which was named Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal with Abul Kashem as chief convener. The Dhaka unit convener was Saifur Rahman. Within a couple of months the central executive committee of Jubo Dal was declared with Abul Kashem and Saifur Rahman as the President and general secretary respectively.
Mirza Abbas Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed, known as Mirza Abbas, (born 7 February 1951) is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a member of the national standing committee of the party. He was the Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation from 1991 to 1993. He was ...
became the Dhaka unit President with Kamruzzaman Ayat Ali as the Secretary General.


1981–1982

On 30 May 1981 the founder of the party President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in the Chittagong Circuit House by a small group of military officials. After the
assassination of Ziaur Rahman Ziaur Rahman, the 7th president of Bangladesh, was assassinated by a faction of officers of Bangladesh Army, on 30 May 1981, in the south-eastern port city of Chittagong. Rahman went to Chittagong to arbitrate in a clash between the local leader ...
, large crowds started protesting in major cities like
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest ...
and
Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in ...
. The funeral of Ziaur Rahman became a huge event with the participation of millions of people in Dhaka. In the
1981 Bangladeshi presidential election Presidential elections were held in Bangladesh on 15 November 1981. The result was a victory for the incumbent acting President Abdus Sattar of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who received 65.5% of the vote, beating his principal challenge ...
Abdus Sattar was elected. He formed a National Security Council to involve the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Meanwhile, Vice-president Mirza Nurul Huda resigned from his post in March 1982.


Military coup d'état, 1982

Army Chief
Hussain Muhammad Ershad Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad ( bn, হুসেইন মুহাম্মদ এরশাদ; 1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi Army Chief politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990, a time m ...
thwarted the elected government of Justice Sattar on 24 March 1982 and replaced him with Justice
A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury Abul Fazal Mohammad Ahsanuddin Chowdhury (1 July 1915 – 30 August 2001) was a Bengali public servant and judge who served as the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1983. Biography Chowdhury was born in 1915. He graduated and obtained his LL.B ...
. The BNP was thrown out of power. Many of its leaders were imprisoned, including former Minister S.A. Bari, Saifur Rahman, Habibullah Khan, Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui, Atauddin Khan, Jamal Uddin Ahmed, K.M. Obaidur Rahman, Abul Hasnat, and Moudud Ahmed. 233 leaders of BNP were arrested from March to July 1982.


7-Party Alliance

From 1983, Begum Khaleda Zia became the de facto decision maker of the party. Under her leadership the BNP formed a new anti-government alliance against the autocratic Ershad regime. It was named after the number of parties with it, 7-Party Alliance. BNP launched a massive anti-government movement after co-ordination with Awami League led 15-Party Alliance from September 1983. The 7-Party Alliance arranged a mass gathering and called a nationwide strike on 1 November 1983. The strike was very successful. After that the alliance called to surround the Secretariat on 28 November 1983 along with the 15-Party Alliance. Thousands of BNP activists led by then Executive Secretary (later designated Office Secretary)
M. Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, Sitara-e-Harb, BP ( bn, এম হামিদুল্লাহ খান; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and th ...
surrounded the secretariat building at Paltan and broke large hole of the southern corner of the boundary wall of the building. The police retaliated with indiscriminate firing of live bullets.
M. Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, Sitara-e-Harb, BP ( bn, এম হামিদুল্লাহ খান; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and th ...
was arrested on 3 November in the afternoon from his residence at Dhaka Cantonment. A ban on political activities was imposed that night and Begum Khaleda Zia was kept under house arrest. The illegal regime was severely shaken at the core. A long curfew and ban on politics was imposed. On 29 February 1984, Ershad declared that the ban on politics would be lifted on 26 March and on 27 May both the Presidential and national election would be held. The 7-Party Alliance asked for the national election prior to the Presidential election. After the lifting of the ban, Khaleda Zia attended an extended meeting of the party on 1 April where she was made the acting chairperson of the party. In May, the Chairperson Justice Sattar resigned and Khaleda Zia was made the chairperson of the party. Under the leadership of Khaleda Zia, the first major step BNP took was to expel leaders like Shah Azizur Rahman, Moudud Ahmed, AKM Maidul Islam, Abdul Alim, and Barrister Sultan Ahmed Chowdhury from the party. These leaders formed a committee with Shah Aziz as the President and AKM Maidul Islam as the general secretary. This faction later joined the Jatiya Front and Jatiya Party.


Attack on Begum Khaleda Zia

On 23 September 1984 while addressing a rally in Bogra, 10 or 12 handmade grenades were charged on the rally while some of them were aimed at the stage where Khaleda Zia was giving her speech. Khaleda Zia narrowly escaped injury while eleven of her party received severe injuries. A nationwide strike was called in protest at this attack on 22 and 27 December. The government imposed a ban on political activities on those days to foil the strike, but it was largely ignored. Two people including a student leader from Bangladesh, Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal, died when police fired on a crowd on 22 December.


Upazila election 1985

The government, amid protests, held upazila elections on 15 May 1985 in 251 upazilas and on 20 May in 209. The election was marked by rigging, stuffing, snatching of ballots and electoral fraud. Ershad's newly formed Janadal got 190 candidates as victors. Though BNP was in trouble because of government repression, it got 46 of its leader as upazila chairmen while the Awami League fared worse with 41 upazila chairman.


Formation of student alliance

In 1985, BNP's students wing Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal formed Shongrami Chatra Jote with Chatra League (Awranga), Chatra League (Pradhan) and five other student organisations and started its resistance against Ershad.


General election 1986

In March 1986, Ershad declared that a national election would be held on 26 April. Both the 7-Party Alliance led by BNP and the 15-Party Alliance led by the Awami League declared a boycott of the election on 17 March. Both called a joint rally on 21 March and a nationwide strike on 22 March as the immediate program to thwart the forthcoming election. The night before the nationwide strike on 22 March, the Awami League called a meeting of the 15-Party Alliance but Sheikh Hasina refused to take part in the meeting. In the meeting majority of the parties including the Awami League opined in favour of the election. General Khalilur Rahman of Awami League was maintaining close contacts with the army headquarters during the meeting that night. Sheikh Hasina was having discussion with General Khalil periodically. On the final hours of 21 March 1986, Sheikh Hasina announced that the Awami League and her alliance would participate in the election. Five parties of the alliance parted ways from the Awami League after the announcement and decided to boycott the election. BNP and the 7-Party Alliance with the newly formed 5-Party alliance of leftists started campaigning against the election while the Awami League and
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামী, Bānglādēsh Jāmāyatē Islāmī, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly), previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, was ...
joined the election. The election was largely boycotted. BNP Chairperson mobilised a large pool of political parties and their leaders behind her to boycott the election. Apart from the BNP led 7-Party Alliance and leftist 5-Party Alliance, 17 more parties including BNP ( Shah Aziz), Samajbadi Dal ( Nirmal Sen), Democratic League (Moshtaq), Democratic League (
Oli Ahad Oli Ahad ( – 20 October 2012) was a Bangladeshi politician and language activist of the Language Movement. He was awarded Independence Day Award in 2004 by the Government of Bangladesh. Early life Ahad was born in the Islampur village of Bra ...
), Islamic Democratic League, Islami Andolon (M. A. Jalil), Janata Party,
Jatiya Ganatantrik Party Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (JAGPA) is an unregistered minor political party in Bangladesh. Its founder is Shafiul Alam Pradhan who formed the JAGPA on 6 April 1980 through a press conference at Baitul Mokarram. The current president of this politic ...
, Labour Party (Maolana Matin), Muslim League ( Kamruzzaman), Progatishil Ganatantrik Shakti and so on. Khaleda Zia reiterated that the BNP would participate only if: # The fundamental rights are restored # All political prisoners are released # All convictions of politicians by the military courts are cancelled The anti-election alliance under BNP called for a nationwide strike on election day. Unrest, voting fraud and malpractices marked the election day according to the opposition parties. Both the Awami League and Jamaat-e-Islami conceded humiliating defeat in the election. General Hussain Mohammad Ershad got himself elected on 15 October 1986. Prior to the
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operat ...
, Khaleda Zia was put under house arrest on 13 October. In a joint declaration, the two alliances called for "Siege Dhaka" program on 10 November 1987. The government imposed a ban on public gatherings ahead of the program which was defied on the day, and during the program, the capital of the country virtually went under the control of the opposition alliances. This incident infuriated the opposition and a nationwide protest was called on the following day. The government came hard handed and both Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina was put under house arrest on 11 October. Both the parties and their partners in the movement declared frequent nationwide strikes for the next days until the end of the year.


General election 1988

BNP was determined about not to join poll under Ershad regime and decided to boycott the general election of 1988 after the abolishment of the previous parliament. The election was held on 3 March without the participation of any popular party or alliance rather a combined opposition was made led by ASM Abdur Rab. BNP called a nationwide on the Election Day and declared they would resist the election.


Organizational reformations

On the advice of Dr.
Badruddoza Chowdhury Abdul Qasim Mohammad Badruddoza Chowdhury (known as AQM Badrudozza Chowdhury; ; born 1 November 1932) served as the President of Bangladesh from 14 November 2001 until his resignation on 21 June 2002. He was the founding secretary-general of B ...
, BNP chief Begum Zia, on 21 June 1988, suspended the national standing committee and executive committee on the party for various reasons including the failures to strengthening the party of leaders. During this opportunity former military officers were also removed from leadership positions within the party.
M. Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, Sitara-e-Harb, BP ( bn, এম হামিদুল্লাহ খান; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and th ...
was relieved from his post as Executive Secretary. On 3 July 1988 Barrister
Abdus Salam Talukder Abdus Salam Talukder (4 November 1936 – 20 August 1999) was a Bangladeshi politician and lawyer. He served as the secretary general of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the State Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Local Gover ...
, a distinguished lawyer, was assigned with the post of Secretary General of the party instead of KM Obaidur Rahman. Soon after the removal of Obaidur, he with Jamal Uddin Ahmed and Abul Hasnat formed a new party with the same name. On 17 July of the same year, Shah Azizur Rahman dissolved the BNP faction with him and joined the party with his followers on 26 August. Barrister Abdus Salam Talukder restructured the BNP, making it a stronger political platform that thrived through the critical time to topple Ershad regime.


1990 Mass Uprising

The movement against Ershad started gaining momentum from October 1990. The BNP led 7-party alliance, the Awami League led 8-party alliance and the Leftist 5-party alliance started a movement to usurp Ershad from 10 October 1990 and declared a nationwide strike on that day. The strike claimed 5 lives, including the three BNP activists who were rallying in front of the central office of the Jatiya Party when the Jatiya Party cadres opened fire on the crowd. On 28 November, the opposition parties including BNP and its student wing defied the curfew and state of emergency and came out with large processions. The curfew and state of emergency was the last resort for Ershad that became ineffective by the end of November 1990. On 3 December, the protests became more violent and many died. Bombs were hurled at the Sena Kalyan Sangstha building at Motijhil. From 27 November to 3 December, more than fifty protesters died. On 4 December, the mass uprising took place and Ershad declared his resignation.


Students movement

Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) which has always been a centre of all popular movements in the history of Bangladesh came under the control of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal after the election of 3 June 1990. The Amanullah Aman- Khairul Kabir Khokan panel backed by Chatra Dal won all the posts and took the lead of the students' movement in the
University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
campus. The Chatra Dal led DUCSU committee forged an alliance with all existing students group in the campus, Sarbadaliya Chatra Oikya Parishad (All-party Students Alliance Council) and staged a demonstration on 1 October 1990. The protests turned violent after the police firing on a rally of Chatra Dal on 10 October that claimed the life of Naziruddin Jehad, a Chatra Dal leader from Sirajganj who came to Dhaka to join the rally against Ershad. The series of student protests compelled the Ershad regime to think about a safe exit.


Solidarity of teachers

On 7 December 1989, the BNP supported White panel of teachers got the highest number of Deans elected from their panel including Professor Anwarullah Chowdhury, Professor S M Faiz, Assistant Professor M. Anwar Hossain and Associate Professor
Humayun Ahmed Humayun Ahmed (; 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and professor. His breakthrough was his debut novel '' Nondito Noroke'' published in 1972. He wrote over 20 ...
. The pro-BNP White panel of teachers, which dominated the Dhaka University Teachers Association, declared an all-out movement against the Ershad regime in 1990. All the teachers decided to resign from their post on 29 November and confirmed their decision of not returning to classes until the fall of Ershad. The firm reaction from the teachers jeopardised the Ershad regime. After the fall of Ershad, because of the commitment to the national interest the White panel of teachers won a decisive victory on 24 December 1990 in the election of Dhaka University Teachers Association once again with Professor Anwarullah Chowdhury as the President of the association with Professor M. Anwar Hossain as the general secretary.


Caretaker government (2006–2008)

The military-backed government promised to tackle the longstanding problems of corruption, filing charges against more than 160 politicians, civil servants and businessmen in 2007. Among those charged were Khaleda Zia and her two sons, as well as Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League. The Bangladesh Election Commission invited Hafizuddin's faction, rather than Khaleda Zia's, to participate in talks, effectively recognising the former as the legitimate BNP. Khaleda Zia challenged this in court, but her appeal was rejected on 10 April 2008. After her release later that year, Zia was restored to her position as party leader. In the
2008 Bangladesh general election General elections were held in Bangladesh on 29 December 2008. The two main parties in the election were the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, and the Bangladesh Awami League Party, led by Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladesh Awa ...
, the 4-party alliance led by BNP won 33 seats out of 299 constituencies, of which the BNP alone got 30.


5th National Council, 2009

After sanctions by the Election Commission, the party held country-wide events in order for local leaders to play an active role in the national party. The BNP National Council empowered re-elected party chairperson Khaleda Zia to pick other members for the National Executive Committee and Standing Committee. It elected her eldest son, Tarique Rahman, to the powerful post as Senior vice-chairman, in a "move apparently designed to smooth his path to the party helm."


Post-election campaigns (2012 – present)

After several movements in a period of severe political unrest between 2012 and 2014 to prevent the ruling party holding the 10th general election in January 2014 without a neutral caretaker government, Khaleda led BNP and its allies in a boycott of the election. Incidents of violence were reported on polling day including bombing of election centres, which the BNP and its allies were accused of. Over 100 people were killed in the 2016 Union Parishad Election in violent clashes between Awami League and BNP supporters. In 2016 the BNP announced its new National Standing Committee, in which Khaleda retained her position as chairperson. New members were recruited while some older members were removed, and various new strategies for party operation were formulated. In May 2017 Khaleda revealed BNP's Vision 2030 to gain public support for the next general elections. However the ruling Awami League government denounced Vision 2030 as an act of plagiarism of Awami League's Vision 2021 which they used in the ninth general election, and claimed most of the targets in the Visions were fulfilled by Awami League, thus declaring BNP's Vision 2030 as unoriginal. BNP also announced it will hold processions to hold the 11th general elections under a neutral government. This renewed tensions between BNP and Awami League. On 8 February 2018 Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman as per court verdict, were jailed for 5 and 10 years respectively due to involvement in the
Zia Charitable Trust corruption case The Zia Charitable Trust corruption case refers an ongoing corruption case in Bangladesh that relates to corruption over the misuse of funds in a charity named after former President Ziaur Rahman. Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh is ...
. While Tarique was on exile, Khaleda would be imprisoned on old Dhaka Central Jail on Nazimuddin Road. In protest BNP held nationwide demonstrations, which were foiled by well-prepared police force across the nation. A large number of BNP activists were arrested during clashes with the police during the protests against Khaleda's imprisonment.


Jatiya Oikya Front

After the jailing of chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, BNP expedited the process to forge a national unity with prominent leaders of the country. In October 2018, the party formally announced its joining of Jatiya Oikya Front with Dr. Kamal Hossain at its forefront. There was controversy in the run up to the elections surrounding the nomination of banned Jamaati candidates under the BNP banner. In 2013 the hard-line, right-wing, Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami was banned from registering and therefore contesting in elections by the High Court, citing their charter in violation of the constitution. However 25 Jamaati candidates ran in the election, with 22 nominations for BNP and 3 running as independents. An investigation was launched but on 23 December the
Election Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said they had examined the related law and "there is no scope for rejecting the Jamaat leaders' candidacy at this moment." On 26 December, just days before the election, Jatiya Oikya Front leader Kamal Hossain expressed his regret about Jamaat's involvement in the elections under his alliance, claiming "had I known hat Jamaat leaders will be given BNP ticketsI would not have been part of it." The media however had reported at the end of November that this was happening.


Party leaders


Chairpersons


Current leadership

* Acting Chairman: Tarique Rahman * Chairperson: Khaleda Zia * Secretary General:
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (born 26 January 1948) is a Bangladeshi politician. He has been the secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 2016. He was a member of the parliament for Thakurgaon-1 constituency from 2001 to ...
* Senior Vice Chairperson: Tarique Rahman


Electoral history


Presidential Elections


Jatiya Sangsad elections


See also

* Politics of Bangladesh *
List of political parties in Bangladesh This article lists political parties in People's Republic of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has a fading two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under t ...
* Hartal in Bangladesh *
Economy of Bangladesh The economy of Bangladesh is a major economy of South Asia and a developing market economy. — — —Siddiqi, Dina M. “Miracle Worker or Womanmachine? Tracking (Trans)National Realities in Bangladeshi Factories.” Economic and Political ...
* Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha


References


Bibliography

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External links

* {{Authority control Political parties in Bangladesh Political parties established in 1978 1978 establishments in Bangladesh Right-wing politics in Bangladesh