Will Awami League wage armed struggle?

Opinion

Will the Awami League go into armed struggle to overthrow the current undemocratic, unconstitutional, and illegal Yunus government? My clear answer is – No. The Awami League will return to power through a democratic movement that respects the constitution and laws of Bangladesh and is disciplined.

Now let’s get behind the events. Last night, I posted a video interview of journalist Fazlul Bari and Barrister Nijhum Majumder. In the video, Nijhum Majumder said that the Awami League may have to resort to armed struggle. He also clearly spoke about preparing for guerrilla warfare with weapons. He expressed his personal opinion and said that there is no other way except armed struggle.

In the last 14 months, many in the Awami League have been writing in many ways, carrying out movements and struggles. No one has spoken publicly about armed warfare like this before. Those who read my writings know that I do a few things very systematically. One, thinking and studying extensively before saying anything. Two, trying to understand the mentality of the grassroots, no matter what I say, and respecting that.

I did not agree with Nijhum Majumdar’s statement after listening to it. But before expressing my opinion, I tried to know the thoughts of the Trinamool. If we look at the comments of people under my post, then more than half of the people supported Nijhum Majumdar’s statement. I carefully observed that most of those who supported his statement were directly attacked and harmed during Yunus’s rule, or were concerned about the country’s deterioration. And those who opposed it, they hold some intellectual ideals, and many are free-thinkers, some live abroad.

Before going deeper, let me say two things. It is clear that those who write for the Awami League and have a fairly large fan-follower base, many people listen to and respect their words. Just as many people dislike Nijhum Majumdar, his words influence many. When Nijhum Majumdar talks about armed struggle, it inspires and motivates many and for this very reason, my request to Sheikh Hasina’s soldier, who has been able to reach so many people like him, is to be careful and think before making such a terrible and destructive comment.

In July-August 2024, when Sheikh Hasina was making one wrong decision after another, many in the Awami League were still in an aggressive position, which did not work. We must remember this. Those who were aggressive at that time, those who were aggressive – they were defeated on August 5. At the same time, those of us who were looking for a solution, showing the path of tolerance, were also defeated. The biggest defeat has happened to Bangladesh. Therefore, we should be careful while talking.

I applaud Nijhum Majumdar for fighting single-mindedly for the Awami League in the last one year. For constantly coming on screen, for raising his voice in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Delhi to bring back the Awami League. I will give him this credit. I had a long 4-hour conversation with him in Toronto. We agreed on many issues, and on some issues we thought of moving forward from different positions in the interest of the country.

I think Nijhum Majumdar’s idea of ​​armed struggle is out of despair, frustration. Out of anger, out of resentment. I will not take it seriously, and I will also tell the grassroots leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Awami League not to entertain such thoughts even for a moment.

Think about Bangabandhu. Why didn’t he declare independence on March 7, 1971, the Pakistanis are constantly making noise about this. But Bangabandhu knew that if he had declared independence on March 7, Bangladesh would never have been independent, that call would have been considered an anti-state act by a separatist organization and the Awami League would have been banned, and that would have been the end of our freedom struggle. Bangabandhu knew that, so he waited for the attack of Pakistan, and only then did he declare independence. He made Bangladesh independent with the support of India and the Soviet Union.

Conspiracies have been going on throughout Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. The BDR mutiny of 2009, the Hefazat’s Shapla Chattar siege of 2013, the demand for safe roads of 2018 and the anti-quota movement of 2024 are all part of the conspiracy. But the Awami League has survived because it adopted the right approach in the previous ones. One of the many reasons behind the failure to confront the conspiracy of 2024 was the unbridled talk of Sheikh Hasina and many Awami League leaders and activists. Some Chhatra League leaders even threatened to delete the post requesting Sheikh Hasina to resign by calling me brother in my inbox. They are now on the run themselves, forcing Sheikh Hasina to leave the country as well.

The main point is that first, attacks, insults, and vulgar language cannot be political tools in 2025. Second, political tactics do not have to be said publicly. When I talk to any former minister or presidium member of the Awami League, I will never mention in my Facebook post what is discussed there. I will not even mention what we discussed in our meeting with Nijhum Majumdar. The topics to be discussed on each platform are different. It is important to understand this. In the last 10-12 months, there have been very few YouTube and Facebook talk shows where I have not been invited, but I have politely turned down their offers, because live shows or talk shows are a trap to get you to say stupid things. Although I know I can speak better than many, I have not gone yet because I feel that I need to take more time.

Can you show me a speech, a public speech, a statement of Bangabandhu that went against the country and the ten? Made people angry? You can’t. If you can, without knowing it, it is a lie that is being spread as part of the propaganda of BNP-Jamaat. Bangabandhu never said irrelevant things. There was magic in his words. People loved him like crazy. Only those who could not accept the independence of 1971, who voted against independent Bangladesh in the 1970 elections, did not love him. And this number is not less, more than 25 percent.

On the other hand, you cannot show a speech, a public speech by Sheikh Hasina, which did not create controversy, did not anger people. Despite being a thousand times better than Bangabandhu in running the state, in developing the country, Sheikh Hasina could not achieve the same popularity as Bangabandhu due to her weakness in public speaking.

I don’t want anyone currently associated with the Awami League to make the same mistake. We have to be polite in our speech. The rise of the Awami League in just 14 months did not start on the streets, it was achieved by well-spoken, polite, educated, and elegant people from all over the world with their pens. Based on that, the Awami League is now taking to the streets. But let us not spoil this achievement by thinking of it as a controversial revolution. For example, the clever people who called for a revolution in July are now looking for a way to escape. Therefore, it is important to be careful in our speech.

After releasing this video yesterday, many people who love the Awami League, love the Liberation War, love Sheikh Hasina, and moreover love Bangladesh, have contacted me personally to express their disappointment. They said that any call for armed struggle is dangerous and can harm the party and the country.

I am mentioning the opinion of one of them – without revealing his name for logical reasons, at his request, “What Nijhum is saying is in no way the reality of Bangladesh. ’71 was a fight against external forces. Who will fight against whom here? Those who say this do not understand social dynamics. Understanding society is important for politics. Not only Awami League workers, but most of the people of the country, especially the lower classes, are very angry with the misdeeds of the interim. People want Sheikh Hasina, remembering the minimum governance structure, law and order and economic comfort of her time. But people are not interested in war and bloodshed for this. Even a common person in the village now lives a middle-class life. The desperation for armed struggle is not that of the middle class, lower middle class. Awami League must return with the strength of its public involvement, politics and diplomatic power.”

I appreciate Nijhum Majumdar’s dedication. Not everyone can do this. Many people listen to him. That’s why it’s more important to be more careful in speaking for him. I will tell my fan followers that I know our backs are against the wall. We will continue our democratic struggle systematically. And we will be careful about what is appropriate to say on social media and what is not. Asif-Sarjis-Nahid-Mahfuz were able to commit such a big betrayal, Chhatra League, because they did not open their mouths unnecessarily. And Awami League is the party of the masses, the most popular political force. Whatever they do, they will do it according to the logical, intellectual and ideological path. They will do it on the path shown by Bangabandhu.

May the Trinamool Congress win. May Bengal win.

October 9, 2025

–Shamim Ahmed