Street battle over, Khaleda Zia, son use film, cartoon in battle of perception

New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 21, 2024 17:24 IST

With the dramatic departure of Bangladesh's PM Sheikh Hasina, the top spot is up for grabs. And so is the title of 'mother.' Hasina, fondly hailed as the 'mother of humanity', has left both the political throne and the maternal mantle vacant, inviting another 'mother' to step in and fill the void.

Hasina's rival, Begum Khaleda Zia, the supremo of the Bangladesh ist Party (BNP), seems poised to reclaim both, the top spot and that of the 'mother'. Not as mother of humanity, but mother of democracy.

Khaleda was released a couple of days after Hasina fled the country on August 5.

As many say, timing is everything in the art of a comeback. The BNP is expected to leverage the political vacuum, following the anti-quota wave that resulted in Sheikh Hasina's ouster.

CINEMATIC CROWNING OF KHALEDA ZIA AS MOTHER OF DEMOCRACY

However, with Khaleda's deteriorating health and advancing age, returning to the Prime Minister's seat might be a distant dream. Yet, being labelled as the 'Mother of Democracy' appears more attainable.

A film titled 'Mother of Democracy' is on cards and filmmaker MK Zaman is set to direct the film.

With the former PM's permission secured, the script finalised, and the title officially registered, pre-production is now in full swing, reports Dhaka-based Daily Star.

It will showcase Khaleda Zia's life, and her contributions to democracy in Bangladesh. The film is expected to portray Khaleda Zia as a champion of democratic principles and a strong leader who has faced numerous challenges throughout her political career.

"People need to watch this film to understand and learn about the true democracy in Bangladesh," filmmaker MK Zaman told Kaler Kantho, another local newspaper.

This cinematic tribute is seen as part of a broader effort to project Khaleda Zia's party, the BNP, and her son, Tarique Rahman, as symbols of democracy in the country facing political instability and chaos. This after Hasina's 15-year authoritarian rule.

With Khaleda Zia turning 79 and possibly stepping back, her son Tarique Rahman is poised to become the new face of the BNP, if and when the military-backed interim government conducts elections to the Jatiya Sangsad.

TARIQUE RAHMAN WELCOMES CARTOONS AS EXPRESSION

With the 'mother' spot sorted, her son and BNP's acting chair, Tarique Rahman, is at it too. Having deposed Hasina, "the autocratic PM", 56-year-old Tarique Rahman is all in for upholding freedom of expression.

Days ago, he shared a cartoon of him on social media by cartoonist Mehedi Haque and expressed his satisfaction with the restored freedom after Hasina's expulsion on August 5.

"I am deeply gratified that the freedom to draw political cartoons has been restored in Bangladesh," Rahman wrote on his X on August 11.

He did not let the opportunity go to slam Hasina and her 15-year rule.

"It clearly highlights the difference between a fascist regime and a democratic party. I'm certain that if this cartoonist had drawn something about Hasina, Joy, or Mujib, they would have faced jail time," added Rahman on the X post.

London where he has been in exile since 2008.

Since then, the acting BNP chairperson has used video calls and online meetings to coordinate party functioning and mobilise people to support them.

Before being exiled in London, Rahman was locked up by the Sheikh Hasina administration after being convicted in a handful of cases.

Similarly, Khaleda Zia was under house arrest since 2018, and was only released after the fall of Hasina's rule.

In her first address, Khaleda Zia, the potential 'mother of democracy' of the silver screen, urged her compatriots to build a "democratic Bangladesh".

The repeated references to democracy are also interesting because the parties hope that elections would be held soon and the military-backed interim government won't cling on to power for a long period.

Mind you, it was Tarique Rahman, who was the key architect of the BNP's alliance with the right-wing Islamic radical party, the Jamaat-e-Islami. They together ruled Bangladesh between 2001 and 2006. In turn, Jamaat's links to the Pakistani agency ISI are not a hidden fact. Tarique has also been accused of hobnobbing with Islamist radicals and terrorists.

As the stage is reset in India's eastern neighbourhood, the mother-son duo of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman are ready to script a new chapter. After the pitched street battles, now the duo are in a battle of perceptions, and films and cartoons are coming in handy.