Sohel Taj calls Hasina’s comeback ‘unrealistic’

Former Awami League leader and former State Minister for Home Affairs, Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj has said that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently staying in India, is misleading both the people and her party by refusing to take responsibility for her actions.

Mr. Taj also said that party leaders and activists are being shown ‘unrealistic dreams’ by promises of returning to Bangladesh. He made these remarks in a post published on his verified Facebook page yesterday, marking the second anniversary of the July Mass Uprising.

Following the publication of the post, it sparked widespread discussion in political circles and on social media. Referring to Sheikh Hasina in his post, he wrote, “I hear that the former Prime Minister, who left the country in the face of the student-public movement, is now talking about returning.”

Mr. Taj further said, “She certainly has the right to want to return, but the question is—how shameless or brazen must a person be to deny all of their own actions, and mislead both the people and their own party with such unrealistic dreams?”

In his post, Sohel Taj alleged that efforts are being made to divert attention from accusations related to the long period of Awami League rule, including genocide, enforced disappearances, killings, corruption, weakening democratic institutions, using the spirit of the Liberation War for political interests, looting state assets, and laundering money abroad.

Mr. Taj claimed, instead of engaging in self-criticism over these issues, everything is being denied, thereby sending the wrong message to party leaders and activists. He further said that instead of accepting reality, various conspiracy theories are being promoted, leading the Awami League in the wrong direction.

According to, the former state minister, this is not only harming the party but also raising the risk of prolonging Bangladesh’s political crisis. Citing examples from world history, he said, instances of ousted leaders returning to power are extremely rare.

Mr. Taj claimed that Getúlio Vargas of Brazil, Justinian II, the Byzantine emperor, and Antonio López de Santa Anna of Mexico were exceptional cases of leaders who regained power.  However, he noted that they had been removed through military coups, not by popular mass uprisings.

Referring to Bangladesh, Sohel Taj said that Sheikh Hasina lost power and was forced to leave the country in the face of a mass movement. Therefore, in his opinion, there is no realistic possibility of her returning to power.

At the end of his post, he wrote, “She may return to the country, but not to regain power; she may return to face the law.”