BNP announces blockade for Wednesday, Thursday
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a blockade for another two days, for Wednesday and Thursday, on road, water and railways across the country at the end of the five-day blockade in two phases.
The blockade will be in effect from 6:00 am Wednesday and will end on 6:00 am Friday.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came with the new announcement in a virtual press conference on Monday afternoon.
The de facto opposition declared the blockade in protest of vandalising and thwarting their grand rally on 28 October.
The police have arrested several central leaders of the party, including BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir following the clashes on 28 October.
Besides, a number of the party’s central leaders have gone into hiding at the face of mass arrests across the country.
In this situation, the BNP will not observe the National Revolution and Solidarity Day on 7 November, he added.
Speaking regarding this during the press conference, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the programmes scheduled to be held on the National Revolution and Solidarity Day on 7 November have been postponed due to several reasons, including the non-stop mass arrests as well as the locking up of the party office the police.
The party leaders and activists pay homage to late president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman at his tomb with floral wreaths on this day every year. The de facto opposition also organises different sorts of programmes and discussions to mark the day.
Announcing the new programme, the BNP joint secretary general urged the people of the country and the party activists to hold an all-out blockade.
He also expressed gratitude to the people of the country for making the “all-out blockade a success” despites the mass arrests and frequent attacks.
Earlier, the BNP and their alliances in the simultaneous movement enforced blockades for three days last week and for 48 hours, on Sunday and Monday, this week.
Apart from the BNP, the Gonotantra Mancha, the 12-party alliance, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and other like-minded parties and alliances have announced the same programme.