Is the Country Being Systematically Destroyed Under the Mahajan’s Patronage? Are We Realizing It Yet?

Opinion

Let me speak some hard truths.

Is the Mahajan truly incapable of running the country, or is it unwilling? When the Mahajan’s devotees claim it should remain in power for five years—isn’t this narrative actually planted by the Mahajan itself?

When the devil is intelligent, it can employ the ultimate cunning. Those around it and its followers will think, “Ah, what a simple, sincere person—working day and night for the country.” But is that really the case?

Apart from its own institutions, what tangible work has the Mahajan done in the past nine months? Exactly which decision of its has benefited the country?

If someone truly cares for the country, they don’t need power to act. Before seizing power, was the Mahajan ever seen during any of the country’s crises or disasters? Did it ever issue even a minimal statement for the nation?

It cried crocodile tears about the 1974 famine at an investment conference—but how old was it then? What did it do for the country at that time? Since then, one natural disaster after another has struck—floods, Cyclone Sidr—what initiative did the Mahajan take?

Even if we ignore the past, in the last nine months, countless industries have shut down, leaving masses unemployed. These desperate people are now turning to crime. What employment initiatives has it successfully implemented for them?

Yet, it wasted no time in securing tax exemptions for itself, evading labor law penalties, and extracting one privilege after another for its own institutions while occupying the highest government positions. The list of these privileges is so extensive that others in its government have also become entangled in corruption. The scale is so vast that it can no longer be concealed.

Bangladesh’s foreign reserves, as of last July, remain unchanged—check the Bangladesh Bank website if in doubt. It claims to be repaying loans left by the previous government. But in the last 15 years, no foreign donor agency has recorded delayed repayments. If repayments had been delayed back then, the World Bank and IMF would never have agreed to lend to Bangladesh.

So why, since the Mahajan took power, have loan installments stalled? Why is the World Bank making dire predictions about Bangladesh?

Does the Mahajan not understand this? Is it incapable of solving these problems? Not at all. The country’s economy is deteriorating rapidly—exactly as the Mahajan wants. This doesn’t harm the Mahajan or its allies.

For years, Bangladesh was among South Asia’s fastest-growing economies, even weathering global shocks post-Covid and during the Ukraine-Russia war. GDP growth remained above 6%. No government can fabricate such data.

The Mahajan claims the previous government “made up” these figures. If lies could sustain the taka’s value, why is it plummeting so fast under the Mahajan’s rule?

Except for minor skirmishes on the Pakistan-India border, South Asia maintained friendly relations. Bangladesh never engaged in hostility, balancing ties with all blocs—something the superpower U.S. disliked.

This balance will soon be impossible. The conflict on the Myanmar border was previously treated as an internal matter by the past government. The Mahajan’s regime is now siding against Myanmar’s junta, opening corridors for Arakan—leaving the Bangladesh-Myanmar border vulnerable. These facts can’t be ignored by shutting one’s eyes. Denying truth doesn’t erase it.

Dark days are coming—worse than most can imagine. War on one side, economic collapse on the other. All by design. While the public remains oblivious, foreign investors and global institutions see it clearly. That’s why investments aren’t just stalling—they’re being withdrawn.

The stock market has been crumbling. During Ramadan, the government artificially controlled prices by subsidizing essentials and forcibly procuring crops from farmers at low rates—devastating them. Reports confirm farmer suicides due to debt. The government briefly benefited from winter vegetable prices.

Now, prices are soaring again. The commerce advisor admits rice prices will rise further. Cooking oil per liter has spiked, along with onions and everything else.

The hollow tales of success being peddled are far from reality. Regular market-goers know: Bengalis who once enjoyed fish and meat now struggle to afford rice.

I’m not saying everything will fix itself if the Mahajan steps down now. The youth it has radicalized represent a lost generation. Other damages might heal over time, but this generational ruin will take decades to undo.

Why were Bangladesh’s brightest minds exterminated during the Liberation War? To set a nation back by decades. Now, minds are being destroyed—teens to young adults—rendered incapable of contributing to the country. Is the Mahajan solely responsible? No. Every blind devotee cheering it on shares the blame.

Since July, I’ve repeated one thing: The damage is to the nation. Only a handful benefit from this game. Collectively, the country is regressing at breakneck speed every day.

-Saifur Rahman Mishu
Blogger & Technologist