AL govt scared, conspiring to foil unity process: BNP

The opposition-initiated 'National Unity Process' has frightened the Awami League regime so much so that, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party alleges, the incumbents are trying with every means to disturb the process.

The BNP's views of the new opposition coalition, which is yet to take a concrete shape, were reflected in speech by some leaders at the party's rally in Suhrawardy Udyan in the city on Sunday.

Some partners of the BNP-led 20-Party Alliance except Jamaat-e-Islami joined the rally convened by National Unity Process convenor Kamal Hossain and Bikalpa Dhara leader Badruddoza Chowdhyury at Mohanagar Nattya Manchya on 22 September, giving rise to the new opposition coalition.

The opposition commonly demands election under a neutral government, dissolution of parliament before the polls, deployment of the army personnel, and reconstitution of the election commission for free and fair ballot when the nation goes to polls in December this year or January next year.

No alliance partner of the BNP, nor any leader of the Unity Process was there at Sunday's rally, but more than one leader of the BNP touched on the issue of the opposition unity and the AL camp's reaction to the process.

Amid talks of confusions over the unity process and the government's criticism of it, some BNP leaders said the main opposition party alone is ready to launch movement if the 'National Unity Process' of combining the parties of left, right and centre does not work finally.

“The BNP is ready to forge a national unity. But, please, don’t consider this as our weakness,” the party’s standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy told the rally.

Apparently addressing other components of the National Unity Process, he further said, “Don’t try to pressure the BNP as you know you people don’t have that much of public support.”

B Chowdhury-led Bikalpa Dhara. especially its joint secretary genral Mahi B Chowdhury, expressed reservation about Jamaat for forging the alliance with the BNP while the BNP maintains certain distance with the Jamaat at the moment.

The BNP apparently used the occasion of the Suhrawardy Uddyan rally to make public the party's demands and standpoints on key national issues, without mixing them with possible common minimum demands and programmes it wants to work on with the unity process. Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader ASM Rab and Nagorik Oikya convenor Mahmudur Rahman Manna are the key leaders of the process, outside Kamal and B Chowdhury.

The National Unity Process suspended its rally in Mymensingh, supposed to be held on Sunday, due to its failure to get police permission while its key leader Kamal Hossain is now abroad. B Chowdhury held another rally where he demanded dissolution of parliament before announcement of the polls schedule.

As the unity process is yet to announce a common platform and collective leadership till date, Mirza Abbas, another BNP standing committee member, expressed his skepticism about realising the goal of making national unity as such.

“We don’t know yet if the unity process would be materialised because the government is trying its best to foil the unity of the parties that demonstrate their appetite for democracy,” he told the BNP's rally. “It’s good if the process works, and we have nothing to lose if it doesn’t happen. We have to fight our own struggle.”

Joined by other leaders, Mirza Abbas asked the leaders and activists of the BNP to get ready to launch a movement to free party chief Khaleda Zia and ensure a free and fair national elections.

However, the party’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir and some other leaders mentioned that Khaleda Zia, before being jailed, sought the national unity of all the parties who want to restore democracy in the country.

"It is Khaleda Zia who first talked about the national unity and directed us to work towards that end," said Mirza Fakhrul.

BNP standing committee member Khondokar Musharraf Hossain recalled that Khaleda Zia at a party standing committee meeting on 3 February, asked the party leaders to form the national unity.

"As per her guidance, we are acting on forging a national unity with all the like-minded forces.” he added.

The BNP leaders alleged that the AL government is conspiring to foil the process of national unity by means of 'purchasing' some leaders, and intimidating others.

The ruling party leaders, including AL president prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who initially welcomed the process , have then criticised the anti-government coalition and its leaders, to the extent of calling them corrupt, killers and somersault.

About the unity AL general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader said such unity of the parties without his party and its alliance is not a national unity and expressed his views that it would not be possible to keep the parties of different ideologies under one platform.