With Sheikh Hasina’s unceremonious exit under military pressure, Bangladesh has descended into chaos. A wave of vendetta has been unleashed against ruling Awami League leaders and activists across the country, leaving hundreds dead. It is obvious that the Awami League, though technically still in power, has lost the plot and is not likely to figure in any post-Hasina dispensation that may emerge in Dhaka now. With Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, making it clear that his mother will not return to Bangladesh politics, the Awami League is clearly rendered leaderless, a ship without a captain. advertisementThese parties may also reach out to some Awami League dissidents who had personal popularity and mass appeal but were sidelined by Hasina’s ruling coterie.
