In the whirlwind of Bangladesh's high-stakes election campaign, where fiery speeches and rival-bashing dominated the airwaves, a closer look at the words spoken reveals a telling tale of priorities – and glaring omissions.
As voters head to the polls on 12 February, a data-driven dissection of nearly 55,000 words from 20 rallies by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman exposes how both leaders wielded sharp attacks while steering clear of several nation-defining issues.
Tarique Rahman and Dr Shafiqur Rahman emerged as the opposition's leading voices, traversing the country from Sylhet to Chattogram in a 20-day sprint of public meetings.
Their rhetoric, analysed by The Whistle across 18 categories, showed a heavy focus on campaigning, local development, and mutual recriminations – often exceeding 45-55 per cent of total words – while core policy areas received uneven attention.
Tarique Rahman poured substantial effort into economic promises, dedicating around 10.6 per cent of his words to agriculture (second only to attacks on opponents at 11.7 per cent), pledging farmer cards and family cards for direct state support. Employment followed at 5.9 per cent, health at 2.8 per cent, the broader economy at 2.2 per cent, and education at a modest 0.7 per cent.
He framed his vision in terms of practical deliverables: subsidies straight to pockets, empowerment through household-level aid.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman, by contrast, emphasised moral and ethical renewal, centring his message on "insaf" (justice) as the foundation for a corruption-free society.
His words skewed heavily towards general campaigning and local issues (55.8 per cent), with attacks on rivals at 11.1 per cent, Sheikh Hasina's era at 6.1 per cent, corruption at 4.5 per cent, and religion at 3.2 per cent. Employment garnered 3.0 per cent, enforced disappearances and human rights 2.7 per cent, but agriculture (0.6 per cent), health (0.5 per cent), and the economy (1.2 per cent) barely featured.
Women, who form nearly half the electorate, appeared in both leaders' speeches at roughly 5-6 per cent of words, yet the framing differed sharply.
Tarique positioned them as economic engines within families, linking empowerment to family cards and highlighting past achievements like free girls' education, though without detailed plans for leadership roles or modern challenges.
Dr Shafiqur invoked honour and protection, portraying women primarily as mothers and sisters deserving societal safeguarding, with proposals like subsidised shorter work hours for working mothers and day-care facilities, but little on broader rights or participation.
The most striking revelations, however, lie in the silences. Minority rights received scant mention (Tarique 2.1 per cent, Shafiqur 1.8 per cent), limited to vague assurances of inclusivity without concrete security pledges.
India-Bangladesh relations and foreign policy were virtually absent – Tarique devoted just 0.1 per cent and Shafiqur effectively zero – despite issues like Teesta water sharing looming large; neither leader uttered "India" once across the analysed rallies.
Law and order fared little better (Tarique 1.5 per cent, Shafiqur under 0.5 per cent), with no robust response to post-5 August mob violence.
The July killings' justice process drew complete silence from both, as did freedom of expression in any meaningful depth.
Even Sheikh Hasina's personal prosecution went unmentioned, despite extensive dissection of her regime as one of looting and tyranny.
In a post-uprising Bangladesh hungry for state reform and accountability, these topics – central to national discourse – remained conspicuously absent from the 55,000-word torrent.
The campaign overflowed with slogans, personal attacks, and competing visions of prosperity versus justice, yet the deepest questions about the nation's future stayed muted.
As the ballots prepare to speak tomorrow, this word-count scrutiny reminds us that in politics, what leaders choose not to say can be as revealing as what they shout from the stage.
The flood of rhetoric captivates, but the quiet spaces may ultimately shape Bangladesh's path ahead.