Ruling Awami League and opposition are both taking up various strategies to keep each other under pressure. Both parties are focused on the streets. BNP feels it has succeeded in keeping the ruling coterie under pressure through its large allies and other programmes. Awami League, on the other hand, says they have managed to push BNP against the wall through their administrative and political strategies.
Awami League feels that BNP’s sit-in programme of 29 July was a failure. But BNP feels that the Saturday programme has served to prove that ruling camp has failed to break away from their tactics of assault, filing cases and instilling fear.
BNP sees their one-point movement before the election as a struggle for existence. And Awami League leaders feel that if it is not possible to hold the election under Sheikh Hasina’s government, their party’s existence will come under threat. As a result, both parties are inflexible in their respective stances to tackle their crises of existence.
With just a few months left for the national parliamentary election, both camps are determined to take control of the streets through their respective strategies. Questions are being raised as to how far the two parties are taking into consideration the fear and uncertainty such a political situation creates among the people. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Awami League presidium member and agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque said, “We are observing how BNP proceeds and are adopting our strategies accordingly.”
Sources at a central level in Awami League say that the clashes that broke out on Saturday (29 July) centering BNP’s sit-in programme at Dhaka’s entry points, took the opposition party’s one-point movement a step back. This situation has further boosted the spirit of the Awami League leaders and activities.
The turnout was poor at BNP’s sit-n programme on the day after their large rally in Dhaka. There is talk even within the party itself about the lack of coordination and other weaknesses concerning this programme. Since then, the party hasn’t taken up any new programme of its one-point movement.
Speaking on Thursday to Prothom Alo over mobile phone about the matter, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said. “We will be back in the field very shortly with programmes of our one-point movement. We have one demand, the resignation of this government.”
Hiccup in the one-point movement
Several central leaders of BNP have said that they had plans for a continuous movement from the end of July, with the inclusion of Dhaka-based sit-ins and sieges. The party leaders and activists were prepared accordingly. It hadn’t been possible to keep up the continuity and there has been a slight hiccup in the programmes. They hadn’t accurately assessed how tough the government’s stance would be concerning their sit-in on the streets or siege programmes. That was why their sit-in at Dhaka’s entry points hadn’t been a success and, some of the leaders feel, this had somewhat dampened the spirit of the BNP men.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Prothom Alo, “We are discussing matters with the allies of the movement. It is taking a bit of time to reach the final stages of the movement. We will now launch programme to increase people’s involvement.”
Another leader of BNP’s policymaking forum, speaking to Prothom Alo, said they wanted to observe the stand of the ruling camp and then proceed accordingly. They are consulting with the allies too about the nature of the movement. After meetings with the party’s acting chairman and other top leader, they will take up the next programmes of the one-point movement.
BNP’s central leadership had originally planned one reaching the final stages of the movement after a series of continuous programmes, but they are realising that reality is difficult. They are thus changing their strategy. Many of the leaders feel that further preparation is required to meet the final stages of the movement.
The new programmes that BNP s adopting as part of its one-point demand may include mass processions, processions and rallies. These programmes may not only be Dhaka-based, but in various other cities, districts and upazilas. The leaders want to take some time before launching into programmes such as sin-in and sieges. They are adopting a strategy to keep up the flow of the movement and motivate the leaders and activists with programmes such as mass processions and rallies.
BNP central leaders feel that it hadn’t been possible to mobilise students, youth and professionals effectively is the last sit-in programme and so they will bide their time for the final stages of the movement. They are planning to unite all the students and youth organisations of the political parties taking part in the simultaneous movement.
In the meantime, the lawyers in support of the parties in the movement have united in an alliance. However, this hasn’t been possible among other sectors. The student organisations, professional bodies and other fronts of the political parties in the movement are similarly wanting to form alliances.
Govt want to use other issues as distraction
The government at the moment wants to keep BNP engrossed with other issues. As an example, BNP leaders point out, the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman have been sentenced in a case against them. The case had been filed in 2007 during the military-backed caretaker government, accusing them of accumulating wealth outside of known sources. This sentence was passed after the one-point movement was launched. BNP leaders feel that the trial of this case was rapidly concluded as part of the government’s strategy. This situation is another issue for BNP outside of its one-point movement.
There hardly seems any likelihood of the two sides taking initiative for dialogue or reaching a solution. BNP and Awami League want to defeat each other on the streets
The party leaders say that steps have also been taken to speedily conclude all the old cases against BNP leaders. They say, the police has stepped up nabbing their leaders and activists and arresting BNP men in old cases. This is keeping BNP engaged in dealing with these issues.
Leaders of the ruling party say that keeping the BNP men busy with such issues is part of the party’s strategy. The government will come down even harder on the opposition’s movement in the coming days. Speaking to Prothom Alo, a minister of the government said in 1996, despite a strong movement of Awami League as the opposition, the BNP government had gone ahead with a one-sided election. But within a very short time BNP was obliged to amend the constitution with provision for a caretaker government. Perhaps BNP is now seeking revenge against Sheikh Hasina’s government. But Awami League will not allow such a situation to arise. Its leaders say if BNP tries to display its clout on the streets, they will be dealt with sternly. Just as Awami League men will remain on the streets, the law enforcement agencies will also adopt a hard line.
The hard stance of the ruling camp has already been visible. Leaders and activists of Awami League and its affiliated organisations stood on “vigil” in the streets on 29 July when BNP had scheduled its sit-in at Dhaka’s entry points. They were aggressive and so were the police.
Under such circumstances, there hardly seems any likelihood of the two sides taking initiative for dialogue or reaching a solution. BNP and Awami League want to defeat each other on the streets.
Writer and researcher Mohiuddin Ahmed feels that the ruling camp is proceeding towards an offensive stand. BNP is not in a relenting mood either. And so the common people’s fears are mounting concerning the political situation.