Sohel Taj likens AL, BNP to ‘two sides of same coin’

Former State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel Taj has alleged that there is little difference between the Bangladesh Awami League, currently banned, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in their treatment of history, saying the two parties are competing to shape historical narratives.

In a post on his verified Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon, Sohel Taj questioned whether the Awami League and BNP were “two sides of the same coin”.

“If a neutral observer examines the matter of obscuring and distorting history, it becomes evident that these two parties are locked in a competition over it,” he wrote.

He alleged that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought to elevate one individual above others through extensive propaganda, resulting in the contributions of several prominent political and Liberation War figures being downplayed or obscured.

He named Huseyin Shaheed Suhrawardy, A.K. Fazlul Huq, Maulana Bhashani, Tajuddin Ahmad, Syed Nazrul Islam, other leaders of the Mujibnagar Government and General Osmani among those whose roles, he claimed, were diminished in the dominant narrative.

Sohel Taj also referred to Ziaur Rahman, describing him as a heroic Liberation War fighter who proclaimed independence and later revised the declaration on behalf of Bangabandhu. He alleged that subsequent attempts were made to portray Ziaur Rahman as a Razakar.

Referring to the BNP-led government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Sohel Taj said public expectations were high after the party’s return to power but alleged that he had seen no substantive change in the treatment of history.

“Just as in the era of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a new trend of obscuring and distorting history has begun in textbooks,” he wrote, calling the development “highly condemnable and unfortunate”.

He urged Tarique Rahman to ensure that history is kept beyond partisan politics and presented to younger generations impartially, recognising the contributions of major figures.