In a Facebook post titled "Do We Have Strength?" Mahfuz Alam argued that instead of demolishing statues, counteracting enemies with strength, strategy, and dominance should be the priority. He emphasized that regional and global dominance must be addressed strategically, stating that Sheikh Hasina and the ruling League are extensions of regional hegemony. He argued that counter-hegemony can only be built through realistic state planning, skilled human resource development both domestically and in the diaspora, and strengthening state institutions. He criticized the focus on destruction and instead called for constructive efforts. Additionally, he blamed regional dominance for the ongoing political turmoil triggered by Hasina’s statements and reactions, urging a more strategic response to the challenges.

The interim government has set a target to bring inflation down to 8% by June of the current fiscal year. This decision was made in a meeting chaired by the Chief Adviser on Wednesday. The meeting also discussed the revised budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The previous government allegedly did not present the real picture of inflation. Although the last finance minister had set a target of 6.5% inflation, post-government collapse instability led the economic adviser to revise the target to 7%. Currently, inflation stands at 9.94%. Additionally, the GDP growth target for 2024-25 was initially set at 6.8% but has now been revised down to 5.25% by the interim government. The revenue collection target has also been reduced from BDT 6.8 trillion to BDT 4.635 trillion.

Abdul Hannan Masud, a leader of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, has called for the demolition of houses belonging to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other Awami League MPs and ministers to build apartments for the families of those martyred in the July movement. Shortly after his statement, he described the demolition of the historic Dhanmondi 32 residence as a response to decades of political repression and bloodshed. In a separate Facebook post, Sarjis Alam likened the fate of certain political figures' residences to the historical transformation of Abu Jahl’s house into a public toilet. Meanwhile, Hasnat Abdullah wrote about the growing unity of Bangladesh, while Rifat Rashid claimed that the entire country stands united to demolish Dhanmondi 32.

The upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for December, as announced by the Chief Adviser, are now facing uncertainty. The election preparations have been stalled due to amendments in the Political Party Registration section of the Representation of the People Order and the Delimitation Act. The Election Commission has no clear idea about the proposed amendments and has received no official instructions regarding them. Additionally, 1,849,326 new voters will be eligible to vote starting January 2, 2026, meaning they will be excluded if elections are held in December. The Chief Election Commissioner stated that election preparations are currently on hold due to ongoing reforms. He added that unless there is clarity on whether the elections will be conducted under amended laws or existing ones, holding them in December would be impossible. The Press Secretary affirmed that the election date would be announced based on national consensus. Earlier, on December 16, the Chief Adviser had indicated that the elections would take place in late December 2025 or early 2026.

Fugitive Sheikh Hasina’s provocation is mainly responsible for the overall situation, commented Shafiqul Rahman in a Facebook post at 11:45 PM on Wednesday. He wrote that it should be remembered that Sheikh Hasina has never truly embraced the people of Bangladesh in her heart—this is her hateful nature. A little earlier, in another post, he had urged the people of the country to remain patient and not fall for any provocation. In that post, he wrote: “The call of Bangladesh’s patriotic and responsible citizens—do not fall for any provocation, remain patient, and demonstrate your love for the beloved country.”

Beximco Industrial Park has announced the closure of four more factories—Yarn Unit-2, Textile, Denim, and Knitting—due to insufficient work. With this, the total number of shut-down factories now stands at 20. The decision, effective from February 5, was made following a government-formed advisory committee meeting. Laid-off workers will receive wages as per labor laws but are not required to be physically present. Industrial police are ensuring security in Gazipur, while no workers have reported to the factories since the announcement.

A Bangladeshi man, Sirajul Islam, was allegedly detained by India’s BSF from the Adatala border in Naogaon’s Sapahar Upazila. According to his wife, Sirajul left home at 10:30 PM and was taken by BSF around 3 AM while returning from India with a group. Others escaped, but he was caught near border pillar 44/1-S. Locals later informed his family. BGB contacted BSF regarding the incident, but BSF denied detaining any Bangladeshi citizen.

Bangladesh has climbed two spots to rank 35th in Global Firepower’s (GFP) 2025 military strength index. The United States remains at the top, followed by Russia and China with the same score, while India ranks 4th. The index evaluates 145 countries based on over 60 factors, including military units, financial stability, and logistics. Pakistan ranks 12th, while Bangladesh’s score is 0.6062. Following Bangladesh in the rankings are Netherlands (36th), Myanmar (37th), Norway (38th), Portugal (39th), and South Africa.

At Rajshahi University, protesting students removed nameplates of four residential halls named after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family and assigned new names. The protest began at Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Square and escalated as students destroyed plaques using rods and hammers. They renamed Bangabandhu Hall to “Bijoy-24”, Kamaruzzaman Hall to “Shaheed Ali Raihan Hall”, Sheikh Hasina Hall to “Fatima Al-Fihriya Hall”, and Fazilatunnesa Hall to “Nawab Faizun Nesa Chowdhurani Hall”. Protesters denounced the government, calling it a fight against fascism and injustice.

During the Awami League government’s tenure, state-backed looting in the banking sector took place, with loans being misused and funds embezzled. There were record levels of money laundering. After the student-led uprising in August, attention turned toward reforming the banking sector. The boards of 11 banks owned by S. Alam Group were restructured, yet some boards remain ineffective. Since S. Alam’s affiliates remain active, action has not been taken against non-cooperative groups.

In a Facebook post, Nurul Haque Nur, president of Gono Odhikar Parishad, warned that continued mob justice even after forming a new government will lead to anarchy instead of stability. He further wrote that this situation will send a negative message to diplomats and the international community and will not bring any positive outcomes. He urged people to show a constructive mindset in building a new Bangladesh, cautioning that new crises could weaken the revolutionary forces.

Ignoring military resistance, students stormed and vandalized the residence of former Chief Whip Abul Hasanat Abdullah in Barishal, breaking the gate and setting fire to the house at 11 PM. The military had anticipated an attack and had secured the house beforehand. A previous attack with vandalism and arson took place on August 5.

Nahid Islam, an advisor, has stated that since India has given political asylum to Sheikh Hasina, it must also take responsibility for assisting her political activities. He warned that they will hold India accountable for this. He expressed concern that the fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina is engaging in anti-Bangladesh activities from Indian soil.

Students at Dhanmondi 32 have written ‘There will be no 32, there will be no 32!’, mocking the controversial host Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh from India’s Republic Bangla. From 8 PM, students entered the house and began vandalizing it. Although a bulldozer was planned to be used, the destruction is being done manually. The mural of Sheikh Mujib inside the house has already been destroyed.

Pinaki Bhattacharya has called for nationalization of Humayun Ahmed’s Nuhash Palli, calling it a national asset. Earlier, he urged people to gather at Dhanmondi 32 and expressed his support for erasing the birthplace of fascism with joy.