The party called for establishing socialism through an armed revolution. It had an armed wing, Gonobahini, which led a violent insurgency against the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[3] In 1974, Hasanul Haq Inu led a group of armed men to attack the residence of the then Home MinisterMansur Ali, which resulted in the 1974 Ramna massacre.[6] He also distributed anti-government leaflets.[6]
Inu was elected from Kushtia-2 in the Bangladesh Parliament. He is the president of a faction of the Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal, which is a member of the Awami League led coalition government in Bangladesh.[9] He was appointed minister of Information in 2012, replacing Abul Kalam Azad.[4] This appointment occurred despite protests from senior Awami League leaders.[10]
As an only Bangladesh Government high ranking minister Hasanul Haq publicly protested Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah's remarks, describing Bangladeshis as ‘termites’. In a strong word, Inu said in a public rally “Amit Shah has made an unwanted remark by describing Bangladeshis as termites. We in Dhaka do not give any importance to his statement as it does not carry the gravity of an official statement of India". His comments were widely reported in Indian media and welcomed by Bangladesh social media users.[11][12] Other opposition leaders also hold him responsible for Sheikh Mujib's killing.[13][14]
When commenting on Inu's activities in 1972– 1975, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said: "Inu's attitude at that time was like that of militant kingpins Laden, Zawahiri and Shaykh Abdur Rahman."[15] He also demanded his trial for his crimes before a people's court.[16]
Inu contested the national election on 7 January 2024 as an Awami League candidate.[17] He received 92,455 votes but lost to Kamarul Arefin who received 115,799 votes.[17] Inu alleged the vote was rigged.[18]
