The Awami League will never be able to return to politics in Bangladesh, just as the Nazi Party was unable to regain political ground in Germany after World War II, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.
Speaking under Rule 300 of the Rules of Procedure on the third day of the fourth session of parliament today (11 November), he said the party would not be allowed to return following its ouster amid the mass uprising.
Salahuddin alleged that the fugitive former prime minister was repeatedly directing Awami League leaders through video calls from across the border to prepare lists of those involved in the July uprising.
He said threats were also being made to demolish their homes and teach them a severe lesson if she returned to the country.
“However, perhaps Almighty Allah will not give her that opportunity,” he said.
The minister said the Awami League would never again get the opportunity to engage in politics in Bangladesh.
He also agreed with the opposition leader’s assessment that instigations from across the border were contributing to recent unrest.
Salahuddin said the public wanted to know whether such provocations were linked to secret meetings between senior leaders of a political party in Dhaka and representatives of various foreign organisations.
He was responding to remarks made in parliament on Tuesday by the opposition leader and opposition chief whip over the country’s law and order situation.
The home minister said the government had never wanted to turn law enforcement agencies into a repressive force and would not do so in the future. However, the government would take strict action in accordance with the law when necessary.
“Under this government, no one will have to face crossfire, be kept in an Aynaghar, or end up as an unidentified body in a river or forest. No one will be tortured in the name of remand either,” he said.
He said some groups were taking advantage of the government’s respect for human rights, but it would not abandon its commitments to the people.
The government would foil attempts to create unrest and sabotage while remaining within the boundaries of human rights, he said.
He added that law enforcement agencies would take any lawful measures necessary for self-defence during operations, in accordance with the right of private defence.
Mob incidents decline
Salahuddin said 55 incidents of mob violence were recorded between February and October 2025, compared with 16 during the same period this year, a decline of 39 incidents.
“The government will take measures to ensure that these 16 incidents do not happen again. Gradually, there will be no room for mobs in the country,” he said.
Drug dealers’ list prepared, operations ongoing
The home minister said lists of drug dealers had been prepared across the country and operations to arrest them were continuing at different levels.
He also said a member of the ousted fascist group had entered Bangladesh from India, attended a meeting and then fled back to India.
The individual, identified as Ranjit Sarkar, was being investigated in coordination with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to determine the route he had used to enter the country, the minister said.
A case had been filed over the incident. As almost all the accused were residents of Sunamganj, police in Sunamganj and Sylhet districts had launched a joint effort to arrest them.
Seven people who attended the meeting had already been arrested, while joint operations were underway to apprehend the remaining accused, he added.
Murders decline by 287 in nine months
Presenting comparative crime statistics for February-October in 2025 and 2026, Salahuddin said 2,938 murder cases were recorded during the nine-month period last year.
The figure fell to 2,651 during the same period this year, a decline of 287 cases, which he described as an indication of improvement in the law and order situation.
He said any lawmaker could verify the figures from the Bangladesh Police website.
Calls for unity against fascism
The home minister sought cooperation from all political parties, both inside and outside parliament, as well as the people, to prevent attempts to destabilise the country.
He said various groups were taking advantage of efforts to create instability, with programmes being announced from across the border under different banners, including religion and hartals.
Their common objective was to create instability in Bangladesh, making national unity essential to resist such attempts, he said.
Salahuddin called on all parties to preserve the national unity forged during the democratic movement against fascism.
He said unity among the ruling and opposition parties, along with political forces outside parliament, was essential to prevent the return of the ousted fascist group and foil any attempts at its resurgence.
“We want the country’s democratic journey to continue and the national unity against fascism to remain intact. Everyone must remain united to ensure that no fascist force can ever rise again in this country,” he said.
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