BNP pledges all-out support, CPB, Islamic partis express solidarity

Students and demonstrators, led by the Students Against Discrimination (SAD), announced a one-point demand for the government’s resignation and called for a complete non-cooperation from Sunday. 

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has declared that they would extend all types of support to the students and the people who have been protesting against the government. 

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) separately called for the government’s resignation, while the Islami Andolan Bangladesh and an alliance of Islamic parties expressed their solidarity with the students’ call. 

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said they expressed solidarity with the protesting students from the very first day of their movement and talked in favour of their demands. 

“We want to be louder that we not only endorse their logical movement but also will provide all sorts of assistance to them. Since it is a student movement, we are fulfilling our responsibilities as a political party, and will continue it,” he said, urging all other parties to come forward to support the movement.

He made the statement on Saturday afternoon, hours before the announcement of one-point demand by the students. He was speaking to the media after meeting the family members of imprisoned BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury in the capital’s Banani area. 

Mirza Fakhrul also noted that the common people joined the student protests and said, “I believe, the movement has neared the victory. In Sha Allah, the people will emerge victorious… the students will emerge victorious.” 

The CPB has demanded that the government step down immediately, taking the responsibility of killings and damages of public properties centering the quota reform movement. 

The party made the call from a demonstration in the capital’s Purana Paltan area in the afternoon on Saturday. 

Its leaders said there have been killings across the country centering the quota reform protests, and the government tried to establish a reign of terrors by stifling the people. 

The government is putting its final efforts to protect themselves, using all the state apparatus. But the students and masses managed to prevent the efforts and it emboldened the masses to fight against the terror, they said. 

Against such a backdrop, the CPB leaders demanded that the government step down without any delay, to facilitate a political solution to the current crisis. CPB president Shah Alam presided over the programme, where other senior leaders were present. 

The Islami Andolan Bangladesh has declared to take to the streets, demanding the government’s resignation. They would hold mass processions across the country on Monday, to press home the one-point demand. 

Syed Faizul Karim, nayeb-e-ameer of the party, made the announcement at a demonstration programme in the national press club area in Dhaka on Saturday, and urged people from all walks of life to join them.  

He said they agree with the rational demand of the protesting students. “The movement will continue until the government resigns. In demand of the government’s resignation, there will be mass processions across the country at 10:00 am on Monday.” 

The Samamana Islami Dalgulo, a combine of like-minded Islamist parties, has expressed solidarity with the all-out non-cooperation programme declared by the Students Against Discrimination. 

In a meeting at Purana Paltan in Dhaka, leaders of the islamic parties said the killings of students and people by the state forces can be tolerated under no circumstance.  

They demanded immediate resignation of the government with responsibility of killings and torture. 

Besides, they urged an end to attacks and firings, release of all students and protesters, and withdrawal of all cases against them, according to a press release issued by the parties.