BNP wants to mount pressure on govt

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wants to reach a conclusion regarding the upcoming general election by putting pressure on the government before the declaration of the election schedule.

For this, the opposition wants to hold series of programmes in October to force the government to accept their demand before the declaration of the election schedule in the first week of November. However, the party is yet to finalise their programmes to be held in October.

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader issued a 36-day ultimatum to BNP considering the days remaining before the declaration of the election schedule.

People concerned say that he said this to convey a message to BNP to not hold any “violent” programmes in the name of a political movement.

According to the sources, obstructions from the law enforcement agencies as well as the ruling party might increase during the BNP’s programmes in October. The BNP is also expecting Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League to declare month-long programmes as well to counter their programmes.

In this situation the BNP may declare programmes in October considering the probable restrictions from the law enforcements and the ultimatum given by the ruling party.

Meanwhile, the BNP has undertaken an initiative to involve the workers to further intensify their movement against the government. As part of this, the party is going to hold a ‘worker-employee’ convention in the capital’s Mahanagar Natya Mancha premises next Saturday. The slogan of the convention will be – ‘Unite in the fight for establishing people’s rights to vote, democracy, enough wages, safe working conditions, trade union rights and democratic labour laws’.

The organisers say it will be possible to form a united front of the workers in the BNP’s one-point movement demanding the resignation of the government from this worker-employee convention.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Tuesday night, the coordinator of the convention and joint secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport Federation Shamsur Rahman Shimul said, “More than 10,000 representatives from more than 15 workers’ organisations will join the convention. An announcement of a grand rally may come from this convention."

Speaking to several BNP leaders at the policymaking level, it has been learned that the BNP is considering October as the month of immense significance. It will be the final phase of their ongoing simultaneous movement to oust the government. They are currently in a 15-day nonstop programme. As part of this, the party is holding rallies in the capital and regional road marches. This 15-day programme, which started on 19 September, will end with the road march from Cumilla to Chattogram on 5 October. Announcement of fresh programmes may come from the rally to be held in Chattogram after the end of the road march.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Tuesday, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “We have programmes till 5 October. We will discuss with the other parties and alliance in our simultaneous movement to fix the course of our movement in the coming days.”

Only three months are left before the national election to be held in January next year. Meanwhile, election commissioner Md Alamgir told the newspersons that the election schedule will be declared in the first week of November.

In this situation, the policymakers of the BNP want to reach a conclusion regarding the next general election before the declaration of the election schedule by putting pressure on the government. They feel that it will be hard to stop the ruling party from holding a ‘one-sided’ election once the election schedule is declared. So if they (the ruling party) are not stopped before the declaration of the election schedule, it will be more difficult to stop the polls.

Therefore, BNP is planning to hold new sorts of programmes to further intensify their movement. The party discussed probable new programmes in the meeting of the BNP standing committee presided over by BNP’s acting president Tarique Rahman. Sources say, proposals to hold different sorts of programmes, including a grand rally in Dhaka and besieging the secretariat and the capital, came up in the meeting.

However, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said the situation would fix the course of the movement.

The USA declared a new visa policy to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election in Bangladesh on 24 May. They said that any Bangladeshi, who are responsible for obstructing the election or involved in such processes won’t be granted US visas. Some four months after that, the US declared to start implementing the new visa policy on 22 September.

The BNP mainly was allowed to hold meetings and rallies following the declaration of the new US visa policy.

Now the party is moving towards the final phase of their simultaneous movement following the US declaration of implementing the new US-visa policy for Bangladeshis which could start in October. Amid this the ruling party has given a 36-day ultimatum.

Speaking regarding this, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam told Prothom Alo, “It’s their (Awami League) habit to threaten the opposition. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t hold any value. It’s their habit to blame us after being engaged in violent activities. But, nobody, not even anyone in the country is believing them anymore. Their time is over. They have to leave now, this is the ultimate thing.”