Dhaka, July 2 -- Tofael Ahmed is sad that amlas have so much power while politicians have less. It's sad that it took him so long to notice this. They have been losing their power for a long time. Their own history is a good description of that narrative as politicians have battled for supremacy with others. Briefly, it may have tilted towards them when the state construction project was on under colonialism and Pakistan but otherwise amlas have always been strong contenders for state power. A lot of it depends on what politicians and amlas represent.

Bangladesh has had two major historical phases. A. The State seeking phase which ended in 1971 December 16. B. The state construction phase which began after that. One was about gaining pow...