Two visiting congressmen from the United States of America spent a busy day in Dhaka on Sunday, holding meetings with the government, representatives of major political parties, and members of civil society to inquire about the next general election in Bangladesh.Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen told the congressmen at a ‘luncheon meeting’ at the State Guesthouse Padma that there was no scope for ‘consensus’ among major political parties over the upcoming elections as the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party was demanding the resignation of the government before the national election.

Republican Party congressman from Georgia Rich McCormick and Democratic Party congressman from Hawaii Ed Case, who arrived on Saturday on a four-day trip, later held a meeting with representatives of the ruling Awami League, opposition BNP, and AL-ally Jatiya Party at the residence of the US ambassador to Dhaka, Peter Haas.

BNP representative Shahid Uddin Chowdhury explained to the congressmen that there was no democracy in Bangladesh and the country was now ruled by a one-party system.Shahid Uddin, who was the lone BNP representative at the meeting, also said that the AL had dropped the caretaker government system from the constitution ‘illegally’ to cling to state power, meeting sources told New Age.

Shahid Uddin said that the US should assist Bangladesh in restoring a democratic system here as the past two elections were not acceptable locally or internationally.

Countering the BNP, the AL delegation, led by party lawmaker Nahim Razzaq, told the US delegation that there was no provision for a caretaker government in the constitution and that their government as well as prime minister Sheikh Hasina were committed to holding the next election in a free and fair manner.

Lawmaker Sharifa Quader, who led the Jatiya Party at the meeting, said that dialogue among political parties could solve the ongoing political crisis.

AL lawmaker Nahim later told reporters that the meeting was ‘fruitful,’ without revealing the details. JP delegates also denied making any comments about the meeting.

BNP’s Shahid Uddin said that he informed the two American congressmen about the party’s position regarding holding the election under a non-partisan caretaker government.‘I have informed them  about our demand for an election under a neutral or caretaker government. I also informed them that the past two elections were unacceptable. We are hopeful that a fair and peaceful election will be held in this country,’ he said.

Apart from Nahim, AL lawmakers Waseqa Ayesha Khan and Tamanna Nusrat Bubly joined the meeting on behalf of the Awami League, while the Jatiya Party was also represented by Rana Mohammad Sohail.

Later, a team from civil society met the congressmen at Peter Haas’s house.

The civil society members include Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, daily Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, human rights organisation Odhikar secretary Adilur Rahman Khan, Naripakkha secretary Shireen Huq, Ain o Salish Kendra executive director Nur Khan Liton, Centre for Governance Studies executive director Zillur Rahman, Article 19 South Asia regional director Faruq Faisel, and renowned photojournalist Shahidul Alam.

Earlier in the luncheon meeting, two congressmen discussed various issues, including the Bangladesh-US trade partnership, the Rohingya crisis, climate change, and the upcoming general election in Bangladesh, with foreign minister Momen.

Momen said that they wanted to know whether there was any scope for consensus among the major political parties over the next general elections.

‘We told them that there is no scope for reaching any consensus with them [the BNP] as they want the government to step down. This cannot be a topic of dialogue over the next polls,’ the foreign minister said.

He said that he had asked the congressmen whether the US government would step down prior to the elections there.He said that a non-violent election could not be held without the sincere efforts of all parties.He, however, said that the government of Sheikh Hasina was committed to holding the next election in a free and fair manner.

‘We want a free and fair election for our own. If all parties come to the election and want a non-violent election, the election would then be non-violent. The government or the Election Commission alone cannot make sure that the election will be non-violent,’ he said.

He said that various people had informed them that Bangladesh had become a dangerous country, getting into the ‘Chinese trap’ and becoming a ‘slave’ of China.

‘They were given the perception that the police here were killing people and there was no peace at all. Such a perception creates a kind of fear among them. But none of them is true,’ the minister added.‘They have told us that Bangladesh is getting into China. We have told them that we are not in the Chinese debt trap as Chinese loans amount to just one per cent of our total foreign loans,’ Momen told reporters when asked whether geopolitical issues were discussed during the meeting.

He said that Bangladesh’s economy largely depended on the apparel industry and agriculture, both of which belonged to the private sector.He said that they also talked about Bangladesh’s Indo-Pacific Outlook, which seeks a free, fair, inclusive, and secure region.None of the US congressmen walked to the press after the meeting.

The US delegation commenced their Bangladesh visit on Sunday morning by paying floral tributes at the mural of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the ‘Bangabandhu Memorial Museum’ in Dhaka city, according to a foreign ministry press release.

Members of Parliament Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Kazi Nabil Ahmed, and Mohammad Ali Arafat were present at the meeting, according to the release.

The spouses of the congressmen, Debra Miller and Audrey Case, and the US ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas, among other US officials, accompanied the congressional delegation.The US embassy said in a statement that they were pleased to welcome the first congressional delegation since 2017.

About the discussion on the Rohingya crisis, Momen said that US congressmen wanted Bangladesh to provide jobs to Rohingya people as they remained unemployed.

‘We told them that Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated counties, where 20 lakh youths come to the job market every year. You would rather take some Rohingyas to your country,’ he added.