BNP mulls counter-programmes against Awami League
It says AL is instigating tension through its counter programmes.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and like-minded parties held rallies at six points in the capital on Wednesday, as part of the ongoing simultaneous movement against the government.
On the day of BNP and its like minded political parties' programmes, the ruling Awami League also came up with a counter rally in the city.
Now, the BNP is going to chalk out a counter programme against the counter programmes of Awami League.
A member of the BNP’s policy-making body confirmed the development to Prothom Alo and said his party considers the AL programmes as an attempt to instigate political unrest in the country.
BNP may announce the programmes against the ruling party’s counter programmes from the Wednesday's rally in Dhaka. However, the previous 10-point demand will remain in place as before.
The de facto opposition has long been making various complaints over the Awami League's counter programmes. Its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir repeatedly called upon the ruling party to step back from holding counter programmes.
On the flip side, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader ruled out the BNP complaints and said on various occasions that their programmes are not to counter the BNP ones.
However, the ruling party continued holding their programmes and the BNP is now going to protest it. But leaders of both parties believe that such counter programmes may lead to unrest.
According to party sources, the BNP will announce the next course of movement from the Wednesday rally. It is likely to wage a protest against the counter sittings of Awami League.
The Awami League sources said they are holding programmes maintaining a fair distance from the BNP programmes. Also, the party men have been directed over any possible conflict.
Basically, the ruling party holds the programmes so that BNP cannot show the attitude of occupying the streets unilaterally through its programmes.
Also, it does not want to let it happen that the BNP programmes rule the media reports unilaterally. They also believe the counter programmes are invigorating their activists to a good extent. So it is less likely to step back from the programmes.