Muhammad Yunus dismisses coup speculations amid rising political tensions

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, has dismissed ongoing rumours of a coup, calling them a "festival of rumors" designed to destabilise his administration.

In a nationwide address on Tuesday, he attributed the spread of these allegations to "defeated forces", seemingly referring to the ousted government of Sheikh Hasina.

Speaking on the eve of Bangladesh’s 53rd Independence Day, Yunus cautioned that as the yet-to-be-announced election date approaches, disinformation campaigns will likely intensify. He urged citizens to trace the origins of such rumors rather than ignoring them, emphasising that "experienced war strategists" are investing substantial resources to weaken national unity.

"Our unity is irritating them," Yunus said. "They want to break it, and their techniques are so innovative that people may not even realise when they have become pawns in their game."

He further stressed that Bangladesh remains in a 'war situation', echoing recent remarks by Home Ministry Senior Secretary Nasimul Ghani, who described the country as being in a "wartime mode." Unlike previous years, the National Day military parade in the capital has been canceled, though district-level parades will proceed as planned.

Yunus and several of his advisers have suggested that domestic and foreign groups are using social media to spread unrest and discredit the government. The administration has sought assistance from the United Nations to combat the spread of misinformation, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres assuring cooperation during his recent visit to Bangladesh.

Yunus assumed power as Chief Adviser of the interim government in August 2024, following a student-led uprising that led to the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s administration. At the time of the protests, Yunus was in France but returned to Bangladesh to take charge three days later.

During his seven months in office, political analysts and opposition parties have claimed that ultraconservative and Islamist factions have gained influence, sidelining groups that championed the 1971 Liberation War. Many leaders of the Awami League, which led the war effort, have either been arrested or fled the country amid charges of war crimes and mass killings under Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a key political force, has also raised concerns about attempts to rewrite history. BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused certain groups of trying to erase the memory of 1971, stating, "Some people are acting as if our Liberation War never happened."

Despite political divisions, Yunus began his speech by honoring those who sacrificed their lives in the 1971 war. He commemorated the events of March 25, when Pakistani forces launched a brutal crackdown on unarmed civilians, leading to a nine-month war that culminated in Bangladesh’s independence.