Politics, if it is to mean anything at all, must eventually confront reality. Campaign slogans dissolve quickly in the acid of governance. Electoral mandates are not trophies; they are burdens. And for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), fresh from political resurgence, the burdens are formidable.

Mr. Tarique Rahman stands at the threshold of power at a time when public expectations are not merely high—they are impatient. The country has endured political volatility, economic turbulence, and social fragmentation. The next government will not be judged by rhetoric, but by its capacity to restore normalcy.

Here, then, are the five central challenges the BNP government must confront from day one.

Taming the price market before it tames the government

For years, successive governments in Bangladesh displayed a troubling reluctance—or inability—to control day-to-day price volatility. Essential commodities have become instruments of speculation. The problem intensifies before Ramadan, when market syndicates raise prices with mechanical predictability. It is no longer a seasonal fluctuation; it is a ritualized exploitation.

The tragedy is not merely economic. It is moral. When onions, rice, edible oil, and sugar become unaffordable, it is the daily wage earner who pays the price. The rickshaw puller, the garment worker, the small trader—these are the invisible shock absorbers of state failure. Meanwhile, allegations have persisted that elements within concerned ministries either turned a blind eye or became entangled in manipulation networks themselves.

Breaking this cycle requires more than symbolic raids or televised warnings. It demands structural reform: dismantling syndicates, digitalizing supply chains, enforcing competition law, and strengthening the independence of market oversight bodies. Transparent import policies, buffer stock mechanisms, and real-time monitoring must replace reactive governance.

If the BNP government fails here, it will lose credibility before it has time to consolidate authority. Inflation is not merely an economic variable; it is political dynamite.

Restoring law and order: Dismantling mob culture

No state can function if mobs dictate outcomes.

The past period has witnessed an alarming normalization of mob violence. Street justice, intimidation, factional clashes—these have eroded societal harmony. Law enforcement, at times, appeared hesitant or politicized. The result has been a culture where muscle power supplants due process.

It is widely argued that the previous interim administration under Muhammad Yunus allowed this culture to fester, if not actively embolden it. Whether through weakness or calculation, the space for mob politics expanded. Once unleashed, such forces do not retreat easily.

The incoming government must act decisively—but lawfully. First, depoliticize the police and empower them with professional autonomy. Second, ensure swift judicial processes for acts of organized violence. Third, send an unmistakable message: political affiliation will not shield lawbreakers.

Bangladesh has known periods of stability before. It can know them again. But law and order cannot be selective. It must be impartial, visible, and relentless. Governments fall not only because of economic mismanagement, but because citizens lose the basic sense of security in their neighborhoods.

Rescuing an economy on life support

The economic inheritance is sobering. For the past 18 months, governance appeared devoid of effective checks and balances. Regulatory oversight weakened. Capital flight accelerated. Reports suggest billions of dollars were siphoned abroad by politically connected actors and their networks. Public confidence eroded as reserves dwindled and currency pressure intensified.

An economy cannot thrive on improvisation. The next administration must implement a threefold strategy: restore institutional discipline, recover stolen assets, and attract legitimate investment. This requires empowering the Anti-Corruption Commission with genuine independence, auditing suspicious capital transfers, and engaging international financial partners to trace illicit outflows. Simultaneously, fiscal prudence must return. Subsidy rationalization, revenue reform, and export diversification are no longer optional—they are survival strategies.

Bangladesh’s economic miracle narrative once rested on resilience: garments, remittances, microfinance innovation. That narrative now needs renewal. If economic stabilization fails, political longevity will remain illusory. No government, however popular at inception, survives prolonged economic anxiety.

Recalibrating bilateral relations—especially with India

Geography is destiny. Bangladesh cannot relocate its neighbors. To the west, east, and north lies —a vast and influential partner with whom Bangladesh shares history, culture, and a blood-soaked liberation struggle. To the east, remains embroiled in deep internal turmoil, complicating regional stability. The new government must pursue strong, reciprocal bilateral relations grounded in mutual respect.

This is not a call for subservience; nor is it a plea for confrontation. It is a call for maturity. Trade, energy cooperation, river water sharing, border management—these require consistent diplomatic engagement.

At the same time, India must shed any residual “big brother” mindset. Such a posture, rooted in colonial-era psychology, generates resentment rather than partnership. A healthy bilateral relationship functions on equality of dignity, even if asymmetry of size persists.

Bangladesh’s foreign policy must be balanced, pragmatic, and sovereign. Strategic autonomy does not mean strategic isolation. Wise leadership understands that diplomacy is neither sentiment nor ideology; it is calculation.

Returning the youth to classrooms, not barricades

Perhaps the most delicate challenge concerns the young. In recent years, segments of the student population were drawn into political agitation, sometimes manipulated by foreign actors and their local intermediaries. Academic calendars were disrupted. A generation experienced a hiatus from disciplined study, exposed instead to the intoxicating mixture of street power, sudden money, and lawlessness.

That experience leaves scars. Youth energy is not inherently destructive. It can be transformative. Students have every right to raise their voices on issues that affect them. But activism must not descend into violence.

The government’s task is twofold: restore academic normalcy and rebuild aspirations. Universities must function regularly. Scholarship programs should expand. Career pathways must be visible and credible. When young people see a future through merit and effort, the temptation of chaos diminishes. A society that sacrifices its study tables for street theatrics mortgages its future.

Governing is harder than winning

The BNP’s electoral success represents an opportunity. But opportunity without discipline becomes squandered potential. Price stability, law and order, economic rescue, diplomatic recalibration, and youth redirection—these are not peripheral concerns. They are foundational.

Mr. Tarique Rahman and his colleagues will discover that governing is less theatrical than opposition politics. It requires patience, institutional rebuilding, and sometimes unpopular decisions. It requires confronting entrenched interests—market syndicates, criminal networks, corrupt financiers—who will resist reform.

But this is the test of leadership.

Bangladesh has endured turbulence before and emerged stronger. Whether this chapter marks renewal or regression depends not on slogans, but on execution. The upcoming government must remember: power is temporary. Responsibility is immediate. And history is unforgiving.

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