New Delhi [India], December 26 : Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das has described the return of Tarique Rahman, Acting Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to Bangladesh as a politically significant development amid the violence and ideological divisions in the country, noting that his return after 17 years of exile could help restore stability in the country.
Speaking about Rahman's homecoming, who is also the son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Das on Thursday said, "I think his return is politically very significant. He has been away for a very long time, and because Begum Zia herself was not well, he has managed the party quite well."
She noted that following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government, Tarique Rahman had successfully consolidated political support for the BNP, even while coordinating from abroad.
Das noted that the BNP leader's return could play a key role in balancing the political landscape at a time when the country is seeing a rise in the influence of right-wing forces.
"Right after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government, we saw that Tarique Zia was able to consolidate the party's political support. And even though he was doing it online and through various new technologies, he was able to keep the party with him," Das said.
Das expects that Rahman's return will bring stability and consolidate centrist forces amidst rising right-wing concerns in Bangladesh.
"So his coming back at this stage, when there is so much violence in Bangladesh and the country is literally being torn apart between various ideological views, it is expected that he will bring back some semblance of political stability and maybe he will be able to consolidate the centrist forces which are there in Bangladesh because the main concern now is the rise of the right wing and what the right wing has been up to," she added.
The former High Commissioner's remark comes following the arrival of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who has been in exile for 17 years.
Rahman, who arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday, was greeted by a large public reception, with party leaders and activists gathered near the airport.
His return is expected to be a major political event in the country's history, following the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year during the July Uprising.
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