“When an Ant Grows Wings, It Is Near Its End”: Nasiruddin Patwary Warns BNP Against Political Arrogance
National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary has warned the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that it could also face public accountability if it abandons the aspirations of the 2024 mass uprising and returns to the old politics of power and dominance.
Referring to the Bengali proverb, “When an ant grows wings, it is heading towards its death,” Patwary cautioned that political arrogance can ultimately lead to a party’s downfall.
He made the remarks in a post on his verified Facebook account on Saturday, October 17, raising questions about post-uprising politics, state reforms and the BNP’s role in fulfilling public expectations.
Patwary said many of the BNP’s past political controversies had not been brought to the forefront while the struggle against authoritarian rule was underway. At the time, he explained, the priority was to bring down the authoritarian regime. However, he questioned the value of the sacrifices made during the uprising if the country returned to the same power-centred political practices.
He also referred to unresolved questions surrounding Colonel Taher, the political failures associated with the 1/11 period, and the unfulfilled aspirations of the 1990 mass uprising. According to him, Bangladesh’s objective should not simply be to remove a ruler but to transform the authoritarian structures of the state.
Was the 2024 Uprising Merely a Path to Power?
Patwary argued that the 2024 mass uprising was never intended to serve as a stepping stone for any political party to assume power. Instead, he said, it represented a historic demand to return ownership of the state to its people.
He identified constitutional checks and balances, an independent judiciary, a neutral electoral system, accountable public administration, safeguards against the abuse of police powers and effective anti-corruption institutions as essential elements of state reform.
Raising questions about the BNP’s position, he said the party might have its own arguments and explanations, but the public deserved to know whether the promised reforms would be implemented or sacrificed for political calculations.
Development Initiatives Cannot Replace Institutional Reforms
Addressing government initiatives such as canal excavation and family cards, Patwary clarified that his criticism was not directed at these programmes themselves.
However, he argued that such initiatives alone would not fulfil the central aspirations of the uprising unless state institutions became accountable, the judiciary remained independent, public confidence in elections was restored and the administration operated free from partisan influence.
He also highlighted the hardships faced by ordinary citizens and small business owners. Patwary maintained that when people's livelihoods are affected, remaining silent becomes difficult to justify. The sacrifices made in the hope of political change, he said, should not be discarded to serve the interests of any particular party.
BNP Must Be Accountable for Both Its Past and Present
Patwary stressed that the BNP should be held accountable not only for its past actions but also for its conduct while in power. No political party, he argued, has the right to claim ownership of the sacrifices made by the people or of the state itself.
According to him, the 2024 uprising created a historic opportunity to dismantle the old political order and establish a new system of governance. Failure to seize that opportunity would leave current political leaders accountable alongside those who presided over previous authoritarian periods.
Concluding his post, Patwary warned that political power could not last indefinitely if public aspirations were ignored.
His reference to the proverb, “When an ant grows wings, it is heading towards its death,” served as a warning against complacency and arrogance in power. He argued that if political leaders abandon the reform agenda and return to old practices, the public will once again demand answers, and past mistakes cannot remain concealed behind the authority of government forever.
