Why Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman, a 12th pass, is being mocked as an ‘engineer’

The Opposition 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, in Bangladesh's cabinet, mocked the nation's new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as an "engineer", accusing him of tampering with the poll results.

The unexpected nickname surfaced on the internet, after a leader from the National Citizen Party (NCP) called Rahman an "engineer," not based on his educational qualifications but as a term of mockery.

The leader, Nasiruddin Patwary, took to Facebook on Friday and wrote, "Congratulations! Engineer Tarique Rahman. Congratulations on your success in the 13th batch of National Election Engineering."

The label was quickly used by internet users in memes and sarcastic comments made at the now-Prime Minister. Additionally, an AI-generated image of him wearing construction gear has also been making rounds on social media.

Netizens also began commenting on the allegations made by the Opposition parties, calling him "The man who became an engineer without educational qualifications."

The opposition parties have accused the BNP of rigging and tampering the elections. NCP Spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, at a press conference, said that they have "clear evidence of result tampering".

"We are getting clear evidence of result tampering aimed at the 11-party alliance's top candidates," he claimed.

Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair had stated that poll results were "deliberately altered to defeat the candidates of Jamaat and the 11-party alliance". His claims also included that the officials within the Bangladesh Election Commission were involved.

Apart from the rigging, the Jamaat said that the BNP used killings, violence, and repression for favourable results.

In response, Rahman said that the only strategy was to win people over, rejecting claims of "engineering" the elections. "Our engineering was to win the people over. Alhamdulillah, we have succeeded in that", he said in a post-election press conference.

Tarique Rahman studied international relations at the University of Dhaka, but he dropped out in his second year to follow his business

He studied international relations at the University of Dhaka before dropping out, ambitions. He has a Higher Secondary Certificate, equal to a 12th-grade accreditation.

On February 12, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) emerged victorious, bagging at least 212 seats out of the 299 seats. Rahman's swearing-in ceremony took place on February 17, as his cabinet assumed duties.