Opposition to take to Dhaka streets in unison in the afternoon

BNP flagProthom Alo illustration

Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at last agreed to organise its mass procession programme on the two-and-a-half-kilometre stretch of road, from Naya Paltan to Maghbazar intersection in the capital on Friday afternoon.

Party sources said the distance the mass procession was supposed to cover has been curtailed at the request of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). The party earlier wanted to organise the procession from Naya Paltan to Banglamotor via Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh, and Maghbazar.

It was learned that the DMP commissioner asked BNP to hold the procession up to Maghbazar intersection.

BNP and 31 like-minded parties have been organising the mass processions simultaneously on the 10-point demand including resignation of ruling Awami League, dissolving the parliament, handing over power to a non-party caretaker government, and forming a new election commission. BNP announced the programme from its Golapbagh rally on 10 December.

Leaders and activists of BNP and its 12 associate bodies will join the procession from different spots of the two-and-a-half-kilometre stretch of road. Besides, LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and three other separate alliances will also simultaneously organise the mass procession from six different spots in the capital.

Speaking at a media conference at Naya Paltan on Thursday, BNP’s vice chairman and coordinator of mass procession programme, AZM Zahid Hossain said, “We have got permission from DMP commissioner to hold the rally up to Maghbazar. Our procession will be peaceful.”

BNP and its allies simultaneously organised the mass procession at every divisional and district sadar towns on 24 December. The programme was scheduled to held in Dhaka on that day as well but they deferred the date of mass procession in Dhaka to 30 December due to ruling Awami League’s 22nd national council in the capital city that day. The programme will also be organised in Rangpur today.

Though BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami simultaneously organised the programmes across the country on 24 December, no other alliance members was seen that active on the day. Effectively, this will be the first time all the anti-government parties and alliances are to take to the streets in Dhaka with simultaneous programmes.

Leaders of BNP and other alliances have said they want to observe their simultaneous programmes of mass procession peacefully. Next courses of action will be announced from the programmes. “Mass sit-ins” could be announced protesting at the filing of cases against the opposition leaders and activists on fictitious charges and demanding their release.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Thursday night, BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said, “We will hold the mass procession peacefully.”

Hoping that general people alongside the leaders and activists of BNP will join in the programme, he further said next courses of action will be declared from the mass procession.

Party sources said the programme could be organised in all the divisional towns including Dhaka simultaneously on 11 January.

BNP sources said the spot for the leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies have already been fixed. The leaders and activists will gather in front of the party’s headquarters at Naya Paltan after the Juma prayers. The mass procession will begin after a brief rally there. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain will address the rally there.

Around the same time, the 12-party alliance will bring out a procession from Bijoynagar Water Tank area, Jatiyabadi Samomona Jote’s procession will parade from National Press Club to Shapla Chattar at 3:00 pm, LDP will bring out a procession from its office near FDC (Film Development Corporation) that would parade up to Malibagh via Maghbazar. Ganatantra Mancha, an alliance of seven parties, would bring out procession from in front of National Press Club at 11:00 am.

Besides, Jamaat-e-Islami’s north and south units of Dhaka city will bring out processions separately. The party said they submitted application to DMP commissioner both online and in written for the mass procession from the north side of National Baitul Mukarram Mosque at 3:00 pm.

Regarding the procession, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in a programme in Thakurgaon on Thursday said, “There is no objection if BNP holds its programme peacefully. But the security forces will not sit around and will do their job if the BNP tries to vandalise, set fire to things, erect barricade on roads and observe sit-ins.”

BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Jamir Uddin Sircar, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moin Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima Rahman and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, vice chairman Abdullah Al Noman, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, and Shahjahan Omar, Muktijoddha Dal president Ishtiaque Aziz Ulfat will be on the truck at mass procession.