Khulna one step ahead in thwarting BNP’s programme

Buses at the Sonadanga bus stand in KhulnaProthom Alo

Khulna is one step ahead to foil Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) public rally as compared to Chattogram and Mymensingh. In Chattogram, leaders and activists of BNP were sporadically attacked and obstructed on their way to the rally.

Then in Mymensingh, apart from attacks and barricades, all sorts of vehicular movement on the road were called off without any prior announcement. This time, the announcement of suspending the bus services came some two days before the Khulna rally.

However, the ‘Khulna District Bus, Minibus, Coach and Microbus Owners Association’ has undertaken an innovative approach to suspend bus service in Khulna. In a press release on Wednesday they said, “Various vehicles, including ‘Nasimon’, ‘Korimon’, ‘Mahendra’, ‘easy-bikes’ and BRTC buses are plying on the roads and highways illegally. If the administration does not stop the movement of these illegal vehicles and shut down its counters on the road by 20 October, then all the buses under the bus owners association will be out of service on all routes for the next two days on 21 and 22 October."

Speaking to several leaders of Khulna bus-minibus owners association, it has been learnt that BNP’s public rally will be held at Sonali Bank grounds in the city. Mainly, the decision to close down vehicular movement on 21 and 22 October was taken to thwart the mass gathering at the rally. The president of Khulna District Bus, Minibus, Coach and Microbus Owners Association is Md Mizanur Rahman. He is a former MP from Khulna-2 constituency and former general secretary of Khulna city Awami League.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mizanur Rahman said he was in Dhaka and was not present at the meeting. However, the decision to shut down bus services on all routes demanding the ban of movement of illegal vehicles on the road was taken with his consent that day. It has no relation with BNP’s rally.

On condition of anonymity, several leaders of the bus owners association said that not all the members of bus owners agreed to suspend bus services on all routes. Mainly, they were forced to make the announcement due to political pressure.

Supporting the decision of the owners, the leaders of Khulna Sramik Union also have declared not to run buses for two days. More than 200 buses ply on the 18 routes from Khulna.

Meanwhile, the BNP leaders and activists have alleged that the bus owners and workers took such a decision due to the pressure from the ruling party.

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Asked about this, Gaffar Biswas, president of Khulna district Motor Bus Owners association, told Prothom Alo that he didn’t know anything about that meeting.

It has been learned that not all the members of the bus owners association supported the decision to suspend bus movement. It is also being said that not all of the motor workers union agreed with this decision either.

In this regard, Awami League leader Mizanur Rahman said, "If any organisation wants, they can run buses. But no one will take responsibility if anything harmful happens.”

Speaking to several leaders of the BNP at different levels, it has been learned that BNP has formed 18 sub-committees to prepare for a massive gathering at the rally. For this purpose BNP held preparatory meetings in different wards of the city and upazilas. Millions of leaflets have been distributed in several districts and upazilas since 15 October. The party leaders are expecting a massive number of leaders and activists from the 10 districts of the division at the rally. Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, a member of the party’s standing committee, is coordinating the rally.

However, the sudden announcement of suspension of bus services in Khulna a day before the rally has left the leaders and activists of the party in trouble.

Amid this, the members and activists of BNP are being detained ahead of the rally, BNP vice-chairman Shamsuzzaman alleged. He made the allegation at a press conference on the preparations of the rally at the party office in the city’s KD Ghosh road.

Shamsuzzaman said, “Some 48 leaders and activists of BNP were arrested in Jashore on Tuesday without any warrant. Three were arrested from Bagerhat also.”

Criticising the decision to suspend bus services, he said, “We don’t call for hartal (strike) anymore. Now, hartal is called by the government to thwart our programmes.”

The announcement of suspension of bus services in Khulna has affected the preparations for the rally in Bagerhat, Kushtia and surrounding districts. In the past, there were instances where movements of boats and trawlers on Rupsha river were called off in addition to suspension of bus services. However, Bagerhat district BNP member secretary Muzaffar Rahman Alam told Prothom Alo that he would walk to the rally if necessary.

The BNP has started public rallies at divisional level across the country in protest of the killing of their activists, excessive rise in the price of daily commodities, including fuel oil and demanding a fair election under a non-partisan government.

BNP held public rallies in Chattogram and Mymensingh on 12 and 15 October respectively. After the rally in Khulna on 22 October, BNP will hold a rally in Rangpur on 29 October. Later, they will hold public rallies in Barishal on 5 November, in Faridpur on 12 November, in Sylhet on 19 November, in Cumilla on 26 November, in Rajshahi on 3 December and in Dhaka on 10 December.

However, the policymakers of the BNP are in doubt about finishing these rallies peacefully in the end due to the obstructions from the ruling party.

Earlier, BNP complained of police raids in the residences of leaders and activists of the party on the night before the mass rally at Chattorgam polo ground. There were allegations of attacks on BNP activists on their way to the programme from Noakhali and Khagrachhari.

BNP leaders and activists had been obstructed by the supporters of the ruling party in Mymensingh as well. There were incidents of threats, obstruction, intimidating the BNP activists by taking stance on the road with sticks and getting them off the vehicles. However, a large portion of BNP activists reached the venue of the rally the night before. Many went there by boat.

However, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday warned that no obstacle would be able to stop the mass gathering at the divisional mass rally of BNP in Khulna.

Speaking to the newspersons at the Gulshan office of the party president on Wednesday, he said, “We will defy all the obstructions or hartal or even curfew. We will be at the rally at any cost.”