Movement will intensify until referendum verdict is implemented

Shafiqur Rahman, leader of the opposition in parliament and ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has warned that the movement will be intensified if the referendum verdict is not implemented.

He said the movement would continue until the verdict was implemented, with each successive programme becoming stronger than the previous one.

Shafiqur made the remarks on Saturday during a long march by the 11-party alliance from Dhaka towards Khulna and Kushtia.

The long march began in the morning after a rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the capital. Along the route, rallies were held at Naodoba in Shariatpur, Katakhali in Bagerhat, Babri Chattar and Swadhinata Chattar in Fultala in Khulna, and Murali intersection in Jashore.

At the time of writing this report at 9:00pm, a rally by the alliance was underway near the Jhenaidah-Chuadanga bus stand. The long march was scheduled to conclude with a rally in Kushtia later that night.

Thousands of people attended the roadside rallies, where Shafiqur and other senior leaders of the 11 parties addressed the crowds. The Jamaat chief also delivered brief speeches while standing in his vehicle at Hasnabad in South Keraniganj of Dhaka, Louhajang in Munshiganj, Kashiani in Gopalganj and Nawapara in Jashore.

Speaking at a rally at Babri Chattar, also known as Shibbari intersection, in Khulna in the afternoon, Shafiqur said they would not compromise with anyone and would return home only after securing their demands.

Earlier, speaking at a rally at Swadhinata Chattar in Fultala, the Jamaat chief said the alliance's seven-point demand could turn into a single-point demand at any time.

Addressing party activists, he said they might be called upon to travel to Dhaka for a one-point movement. A call might also come to take control of the streets across the country in a revolutionary movement, he added, urging everyone to remain prepared.

During the two previous long marches, National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam and member secretary Akhtar Hossain attended the opening rallies and joined the motorcades. Neither was seen in the motorcade or at the rallies this time. No NCP representative attended the rally in Dhaka in particular.

However, at least four central leaders of the party joined the motorcade, and some addressed the roadside rallies.

Sources within the NCP said that although the party remains part of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, it wants to preserve its distinct identity as an independent political party. As part of that effort, the NCP held a mass protest at Shahbagh in Dhaka on Friday, a day before the alliance''s long march towards Khulna.

Speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural rally in Dhaka on Saturday morning, Shafiqur Rahman said the government must announce its decision to implement the referendum verdict before the next session of parliament begins on 9 November.

He said implementation of the referendum verdict was the principal demand among the alliance's seven points. The other six demands had arisen because the verdict had not been implemented, he added.

He also accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of breaking its promise to the nation and mocking the people's verdict.

Warning that the ruling BNP would have to pay a heavy price if it failed to implement the referendum verdict, the Jamaat chief said another inevitable revolution was knocking at the door and the people must be prepared for it.

Shafiqur also questioned whether the government was keeping the public in the dark over the Matarbari deep-sea port project.

He said the government must explain to the nation the purpose of the prime minister's recent visit to Japan and what had been achieved during the trip. In particular, the public wanted clarity on whether anything was being concealed regarding the Matarbari deep-sea port, he said.

"Bangladesh must not be leased out to anyone in the name of connectivity," he added.

The opposition leader further said, "Those who accepted subservience in the past are now facing the consequences. They had their ''elder sister'' and ''elder brother'' to turn to, but who do you have? You will not escape accountability for deceiving the people."

Addressing the rally, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed alleged that district councils, city corporations, municipalities and other public offices had been turned into BNP offices.

He accused the ruling party of controlling government tenders and seizing people's homesteads through these institutions. The prime minister needed to understand that, ultimately, all the blame would fall on his shoulders, he said.

Addressing a rally at Katakhali intersection in Bagerhat, the Jamaat chief said the BNP itself must implement the referendum verdict.

"Accept it peacefully. Otherwise, the people of this country know how to secure their demands," he said.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque said the government was still in power because the opposition was cooperating with it. If the government refused to abandon its stubborn stance, the 11-party alliance would be compelled to take action, he warned.

NCP joint convener Abdul Hannan Masud said the government would not be able to remain in power unless it stopped terrorism and extortion and reduced gas and electricity prices.

According to data from the Padma Bridge toll plaza, the long-march convoy included microbuses, cars, jeeps and other vehicles. A total of 778 vehicles crossed the bridge.

Reports from Prothom Alo correspondents in the areas along the route said leaders and activists of the 11-party alliance gathered at several points along the Dhaka-Khulna highway for the roadside rallies. In some places, they stood on both sides of the road to welcome the leaders, who waved back at them.

The gatherings caused traffic congestion at several points along the highway.

Prothom Alo's Faridpur correspondent reported that severe traffic congestion developed when the long-march convoy left the Bhanga municipal office and headed towards Khulna. After crossing the Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway, vehicles had to slow down because of the congestion.

Other participants in the long march included Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar and Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad; NCP senior joint convener Hasnat Abdullah and joint convener Ariful Islam Adeeb; Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party acting ameer Abdul Qayyum Subhani; AB Party chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju; Labour Party chairman Mostafizur Rahman; and JAGPA vice-president Rashed Pradhan, among others.

The opposition alliance has seven demands: implementation of the referendum verdict; trial of the July massacre; resolution of shortages of electricity, fuel oil, gas and fertiliser; prevention of price hikes in essential commodities; improvement of the law and order situation; an end to corruption, extortion and land grabbing; and an end to narrow partisan control of institutions.

The 11-party alliance previously organised long marches towards Chattogram on 5 September and Rangpur on 19 September. The opposition alliance plans to hold another long march towards Sylhet on 21 November, followed by a grand rally in Dhaka.