BNP wants to take the movement to final stage
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wants to take the ongoing anti-government movement to its final stage within a few months and the party has set a target to involve common people as well as the party leaders and activists to turn the final phase of the movement into a mass upsurge.
Keeping that target in mind, the announcement of the marches at union level came after the divisional mass rallies of BNP.
The BNP leaders are saying, after the countrywide marches at the union level on 11 February, they will announce the same programme at districts and cities. Announcement of programmes like ‘long march’ or ‘siege Dhaka’ may come after that. However, the date for holding these programmes is yet to be decided.
Several leaders at the policymaking level of the party said that they want to see an outcome of the ongoing movement as the elections are approaching. They have little time in hand. The month of Ramadan is knocking at the door. It will be followed by two Eids and the monsoon. As soon as these are over, it will be the time to announce the election schedule.
On the other hand, BNP has been in regular programmes since July last year. The leaders and activists of the party are also becoming exhausted due to the continuous programmes for over six months. In this situation it will be hard to carry on holding continuous programmes for another six months. Although there is a pressure to go for a one-point movement to topple the government from the grassroots level of the party, the planning regarding this or the time to start it is yet to be fixed.
The observation of the BNP is that people’s participation in their programmes has increased. If the opposition parties, including the BNP, succeed to gain people’s confidence, people’s participation will increase further.
People will come down to the streets on their own shake, because the rise in the price of almost every commodity, including power and energy, has created an unbearable situation among the general people. Therefore, people will take to the streets if there is credible leadership. To achieve that goal, the BNP is trying to engage people of all areas, from villages to cities, in the final phase of their movement.
Speaking to relevant people, it has been learnt that the policymakers of the party are a little concerned now about their marches at the union level to be held on 11 February as the ruling Awami League also announced to hold peace rallies at the union level across the country on the same day. The party leaders are concerned whether the simultaneous programme of the two parties at the field level sparks any clashes or not.
Speaking to Prothom Alo regarding this, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam said, “We are trying to avoid any clash. All of our programmes are non-violent. However, their (Awami League) activities are provocative. Their announcement of counter programmes is completely a provocation for violence. We are trying to overcome that. The government will have to bear the responsibility if clashes break out even after that.”
The BNP has been holding programmes on a regular basis since July last year in protest against the abnormal rise in the price of daily commodities including, rice, daal (lentils) and edible oil.
According to the figures of BNP’s central office, some 17 leaders and activists of the party have been killed so far in these programmes in police firing and attacks carried out by the members of the ruling party.
On the other hand, a total of 542 cases have been filed against some 19,113 leaders from 30 July last year to 13 January this year. Besides, some 78,812 unknown persons have been made accused in these cases. Some 2,555 leaders and activists have been arrested so far.
According to the sources in the BNP, the senior leaders of the party will be in the field in the programmes ahead to create trust among the people. The ruling party and the police have created an environment of fear by carrying out attacks and lodging cases using the states.
As a result, the general people, despite supporting the movement of the opposition, do not take to the streets out of fear. The senior leaders will come to the streets to overcome this environment of fear. Besides, the party is also thinking about involving eminent personalities in different professions. Now the party is considering their marches at the union level across the country as the basis of creating a mass-movement.
Oppositions including BNP have started simultaneous movement with a ten-point demand including government stepping down and election under caretaker government. March in every union on 11 February is the sixth programme of the simultaneous movement. Alongside BNP, Gantantra Mancha, 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, Gonotantrik Bam Jote, LDP, Gono Forum and Peoples Party will hold marches as well.
In this regard, BNP vice-chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo told Prothom Alo, “We want public engagement from the grassroots level in the movement. Earlier, we went to the root level once and travelled to Dhaka city (divisional rally) from there. We have started our programmes in the grassroots level once again. We believe, a taste of the movement will be found in Dhaka city very soon.”
Party leaders believe this is high time to build up a mass movement. The country has fallen into a severe financial crisis. Foreign loans have increased, banking sector is on the verge of collapse due to corruption, power and energy sectors are also at the face of destruction. The election system has been destroyed entirely. Prices of every single daily commodity have gone up, and will soar even higher in the coming days.
BN wants to organize a movement from the grassroots level keeping these public-related issues in the front so that people can realise, who are responsible for the current situation of the country and who have created these crises.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam told Prothom Alo, “This sort of movement never fails. There’s no democracy, voting rights, human rights in the country and the nation’s existence is connected to these issues. We believe that we’ll be able to create a major kind of public pressure bringing all the people together in this movement. The government will be forced to meet the demand of caretaker government through this public pressure.”
*This report appread in the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu and Nourin Ahmed Monisha.