Workers Party of Bangladesh
বাংলাদেশের ওয়ার্কার্স পার্টি
PresidentRashed Khan Menon
Secretary-GeneralFazle Hossain Badsha
Founded1980
Merger ofBCP (L)
RCL
MP
Headquarters31/F, Topkhana Road, Dhaka - 1000[1]
Student wingBangladesh Chhatra Maitri
Youth wingBangladesh Juba Maitri
Women's wingNari Mukti Sangsad
Labour frontJatio Sramik Federation Bangladesh
Peasant frontJatio Krishok Somity
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism
Anti-revisionism
Political positionFar-left
International affiliationIMCWP
ICMLPO (defunct)
ColoursRed
Seats in the Jatiya Sangsad
1 / 350
Chairmen in Union Councils
2 / 4,554
Website
www.wpbd71.org

The Workers Party of Bangladesh (Bengali: বাংলাদেশের ওয়ার্কার্স পার্টি) is a communist party in Bangladesh. Rashed Khan Menon is the president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh and Anisur Rahman Mollik is the general secretary of the party.[2][3]

History

WPB was founded in 1980 by the Bangladesh Communist Party (Leninist), Revolutionary Communist League, Majdur Party and another group. Amal Sen was the founding general secretary.

In 1984 the party split in two factions, both using the name WPB. One group was led by Amal Sen and Nazrul Islam. The other was led by the current president of the party, Rashed Khan Menon. In 1992 they reunited.

The party participated in the programs of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports in 2006.[4]

In November 2008, the Workers Party protested the removal of a baul statue by the Roads and Highways Department, and Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh following pressure from Islamists near the Zia International Airport.[5]

In 2010, the Haider Akbar Khan Rono led fraction of the Workers Party of Bangladesh (reconstituted) merged with the Communist Party of Bangladesh.[6]

WPB joined the Grand Alliance in 2014,[7] but the party leadership openly questioned the direction of the subsequent 14 Party Alliance after the 2014 election.[8] Rashed Khan Menon was made the Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism in the Sheikh Hasina led cabinet.[9]

On 26 May 2016, Workers Party of Bangladesh called for the parliamentary membership of Salim Osman to be cancelled for insulting Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, the principal of Piyar Sattar Latif High School.[10]

In the 2018 Bangladesh elections, it contested as part of the Grand Alliance along with the Bangladesh Awami League. Five candidates of the Workers Party used the election symbol of the Awami League, the boat.[11] The candidates were Fazle Hossain Badsha from Rajshahi-2, Mustafa Lutfullah from Satkhira-1, Rashed Khan Menon from Dhaka-8, Tipu Sultan from Barisal-3, and Yeasin Ali from Thakurgaon-3.[11] Three candidates of the party contested using the hammer symbol of the workers party.[11] They were Ahsan Ullah from Comilla-8, Haji Bashirul Alam from Cox's Bazar-1, and Jahirul Haque Tutul from Barisal-2.[11] The Workers Party won four seats in the Jatiya Sangsad in the 2018 Bangladeshi general election. Lutfun Nesa Khan was elected from the reserved women's seat from the Workers Party.[12] The winners were Fazle Hossain Badsha from Rajshahi-2, Mustafa Lutfullah from Satkhira-1, and Rashed Khan Menon from Dhaka-8.[13] The Awami League did not include them in the new cabinet which only had Awami League politicians.[9]

In February 2021, the Workers Party criticised Awami League for election policy and for not taking a hardline against religion based political parties.[14] In December the party asked the government to send former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia abroad for medical treatment.[15]

Election results

Jatiya Sangsad elections

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1986 Amal Sen 151,828 0.53%
3 / 300
 New Increase 11th Opposition
1988 Boycotted
0 / 300
 Decrease 3 — Extra-parliamentary
1991 63,434 0.19%
1 / 300
 Increase 1 Increase 20th Opposition
Feb 1996 Boycotted
0 / 300
 Decrease 1 — Extra-parliamentary
Jun 1996 56,404 0.13%
0 / 300
 Steady 0 Increase 8th Extra-parliamentary
2001 Rashed Khan Menon 40,484 0.07%
0 / 300
 Steady 0 Decrease 11th Extra-parliamentary
2008 262,093 0.37%
2 / 300
 Increase 2 Increase 7th Coalition Government
2014 359,620 2.10%
6 / 300
 Increase 4 Increase 3rd Coalition Government
2018 646,064 0.76%
4 / 300
 Decrease 2 Decrease 5th Coalition Government

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Registration of Political Parties". Bangladesh Election Commission (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  2. ↑ Staff Correspondent (21 April 2014). "Workers Party's 9th congress in Rajshahi on April 24". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Chinese envoy expects stability in Bangladesh". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "Mourning day observed to protest killings in Phulbari". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Staff Correspondent (2 November 2008). "More protests against removal of sculptures". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  6. ↑ Staff Correspondent (27 February 2010). "CPB, Workers Party faction merge". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Workers Party announces election manifesto". The Independent. 1 January 2014. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "Workers Party criticises 14-party alliance". The Daily Star. 29 November 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Hasina chooses only party fellows". The Daily Star. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  10. ↑ Report, Star Online (28 May 2016). "Workers Party for scrapping Salim Osman's JS membership". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "5 Workers Party candidates to use 'boat' symbol". The Daily Star. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  12. ↑ টেলিভিশন, Ekushey TV | একুশে. "শপথ নিলেন সংরক্ষিত নারী এমপিরা". Ekushey TV. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  13. ↑ Report, Star Online (11 July 2019). "JS would set bad example if gas price hike not discussed". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Bhattacharjee, Partha Pratim (14 February 2021). "Workers Party 'disappointed' with govt". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  15. ↑ Staff Correspondent (4 December 2021). "Send Khaleda abroad for treatment". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
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