By now, the whole world knows about the fiasco of January 7, when Awami League held a lopsided election sans opposition party and got a landslide victory despite people rejecting the so-called parliamentary election in Bangladesh.

Rigging and election engineering is not new for Awami League but the way they are devising novel tactics to yield results to magically bring forth election victories would make Machiavelli surprised. This time around they devised a 'dummy candidate' ploy whereby many of the Awami League leaders, who did not get party nomination, got a free licence to run. The whole election setup consists of law enforcement agencies, the Election Commission and the administration allowing them to participate in the election notwithstanding the fact that this nexus is absolutely brutal and lethal to stop any opposition candidate doing the same.

The Awami League wanted to show some competition and curve the infight between factions. But not only did people reject the ploy but the ploy also ignited huge infights throughout the country between dummy candidates and that of Awami League that saw scores of people dying and getting injured.

And another loathsome scene was created on the very first day of the new parliament. The dummy candidates, who are registered as independent candidates, created a hullabaloo and melee to show their absolute submission to Sheikh Hasina. In a bizarre and somewhat dark comedy scene, they made a rumble about who can touch the feet of Awami League president and the tyrant to prove their sycophancy. A former army person named was seen giving salute to her. The moustachioed man, who was part of the opposition alliance even months ago as the chief of a fringe party, is the epitome how the political culture of Awami League has become a notorious cult group.

Well, one would argue this is what the party is all about. Since 1971 they have tried to portray Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as holier than thou and that image was the main source of their propaganda and cult based politics. His daughter is just following that legacy. The recent comedy-noir in parliament, naming the proposed biggest stadium in the country by her are two big examples. The Awami League is continuing the suffocation strategy that not only chokes democracy of the country but also creates profound bifurcation among its people.

One may say this part of the world loves to worship cult figures. Over the years, the practice of cult figures has persisted in this part of the world and most political parties try to follow the pattern. We can see the danger of that in Bangladesh and India currently.

But somehow this should be changed. Despite the love for cult figures of mass, this dangerous practice that almost evidently brings on tyranny every time, must be abolished for good.