Bangladesh’s Interim Advisor, Muhammad Yunus, is reportedly considering forming a government without leaders from the Awami League, the party of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Yunus is facing pressure from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to hold an early election after violent protests led to the downfall of Hasina's government, leaving the country in chaos.

Yunus has been considering the possibility of establishing an interim government made up of several political organisations, with the exception of the Awami League, according to a report published in The Economic Times. The interim advisor is also considering enticing some of the AL members to leave the party, according to the article. The conjectures are consistent with Yunus's previous declarations. Yunus stated that Hasina's fascist Awami League had "no place in Bangladesh politics" in an October interview with the Financial Times. According to The Economic Times, Yunus is planning to form a government comprising leaders from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other Islamist parties who oppose the Awami League. This is concerning as these party leaders may not have a favourable view of India.

India-Bangladesh relations have deteriorated recently, especially after New Delhi raised concerns about the treatment of Hindus in Bangladesh. This came after Hindu temples and neighbourhoods were attacked, but the Yunus administration didn’t seem to respond to the issue. This approach by Yunus isn’t new for Bangladesh. In the 1970s, General Ziaur Rahman brought together anti-Awami League and anti-India leaders to form the BNP. Later, General HM Ershad created the Jatiya Party after taking control of the government. Yunus is under pressure from political parties to hold elections. The BNP is considering taking advantage of the public's dissatisfaction with the ruling AL party, believing that delaying the elections would harm their own popularity, according to The Economic Times.

The report claims that Yunus and his followers want to use a minus-two formula and leave out the BNP and AL, even though the latter was instrumental in Hasina's overthrow. Since Yunus began his "nation re-building" effort, Hasina's party has been in a tight spot. The 84-year-old publicly expressed his contempt for the party in an interview with FT. “In the short run, definitely she has no place - the Awami League doesn’t have a place - in Bangladesh,” he told the British daily. “They controlled the people, they controlled the [political] machinery, they controlled the institutions to enhance their interest. No fascist party should be in existence in a democratic system,” Yunus further said. The claim is supported by the fact that Yunus included no Hasina party members in the temporary cabinet.

On Wednesday, Yunus spoke with several political parties to get suggestions on how to manage the relationship between India and Bangladesh. However, the Awami League and its allies were not part of the meeting. Also, the Jatiyo Party, which was led by the late General Hossein Mohammed Ershad, was excluded. After the meeting, Asif Nazrul, the law affairs advisor, stated that the meeting did not involve "fascist parties."

“Apart from the fascist Awami League government and their allies, all political parties of Bangladesh participated in the meeting. There were differences of opinions among us but we were united in our approach to safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and honour of Bangladesh,” Nazrul told reporters after the meeting. A meeting was held before Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s upcoming visit to Dhaka, which is planned for December 9. During his visit, Misri will hold Foreign Office Consultations, where he is expected to discuss India’s security concerns.