Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Shah Alam today warned that fundamentalist forces are gaining ground in the country and are trying to delay the upcoming election.

“If the election is not held on time, fundamentalists will become more consolidated, and the country may head towards a Taliban-style state,” he warned.

Shah Alam made these remarks this afternoon at the inaugural session of CPB’s four-day 13th Congress, which is being held at the Engineers Institute in Dhaka.

Speaking after the inaugural session, the CPB president said that an elected government must be formed immediately to safeguard people’s voting rights.

“Our current slogan is: we urgently need an elected government. Without it, there will be no rule of law in Bangladesh, and no foreign investment will come,” he said.

He also pointed out that communal and reactionary forces are the biggest beneficiaries of the current political turmoil.

“Today, radical groups are rising in Bangladesh — this is something we must take into account,” he said.

According to him, although last year’s mass uprising toppled an authoritarian government, it did not change the class character of state power.

Calling for an alternative political platform, the CPB president said, “There is no alternative to democracy. We must build an alternative centre of political power for workers and farmers.”

Meanwhile, CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince also expressed deep concern over the rise of ultra-right communal forces in Bangladesh.

“Ultra-right communal forces are growing in the country. At the same time, imperialist powers are aggressively trying to impose their dominance over us,” he said.

He said that free, fair, and credible elections are urgently needed to restore people’s voting rights, but alleged that some quarters are deliberately trying to obstruct the process.

“Some advisers of the government and political parties aligned with it are making the election arrangements questionable,” he added.

Prince further said, “The interim government’s main duty was to quickly hand over power to an elected government through free, fair, and acceptable elections. But instead, it is wasting time by initiating constitutional changes, creating new crises.”

He also said, “If any crisis emerges due to delay, the interim government will have to take responsibility.”