Dhaka (August 29) : Though they had talked about heating up the country’s political landscape with a tougher movement after Eid, the BNP-led 18-party alliance on Tuesday announced fresh and pro-people agitation programmes, including mass contact and rallies, to realise their demand for restoration of the caretaker government.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, on behalf of the alliance, announced the action programmes at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan h eadquarters in the city.
As per the programmes, the alliance leaders will hold mass contact across the country and stage mass rallies and processions in metropolitan cities, district towns and upazila headquarters from September 7 to 30.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will also conduct mass contact across the country and address rallies to be arranged by the 18-party alliance from September 20 to October 20 in the cities and towns where she has not yet attended such programmes.
Besides, the alliance will stage demonstrations in all the cities, including Dhaka, on September 6 to protest the politicisation by the government, creating stalemate in all the important higher educational institutions, including Buet, through terrorism and mismanagement and conspiracy to destroy the educational atmosphere.
The 18-party will also stage demonstrations on September 9, 16, 23 and 30 in all the cities, district towns and upazila headquarters to protest various issues, including government’s corruption in all sectors, including Padma Bridge project, unusual price hike of essentials, fuel oils, power and water, killing and torturing opposition leaders and activists and filing false cases against them.
After two separate meetings with her party policymakers and leaders of the 18-party alliance on Sunday and Monday nights respectively, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia finalised the action programmes.
BNP has been in movement since the government scrapped the caretaker system from the constitution through the 15th amendment last year.
Khaleda Zia, her senior party colleagues and top leaders of the 18-party on various occasions, had said they will wage a vigorous movement after Eid-ul-Fitr to force the government either to quit or meet their demand.
However, announcing the fresh programmes, Fakhrul said they do not want to go for any programme now which may cause public sufferings and harm the country’s economy.
“We’re announcing the programmes to mobilise public opinion across the country to force the government to reinstate the caretaker government,” Fakhrul said justifying their flexible action programmes.
The BNP leader said they will intensify their movement in phases and realise their demand.
On completion of these programmes, opposition chief Khaleda Zia will declare the next course of action in consultation with the top leaders of the 18-party alliance, he said.
Fakhrul, however, hoped that good sense will prevail upon the government and it will restore the caretaker system by the time to remove the present political uncertainty.
Jagpa president Shafiul Alam Prodhan, NPP president Shawkat Hossain Nilu, Kalyan Party Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, IOJ secretary general Abdul Latif Nezami, Jamaat-e-Islmia Dhaka city acting Ameer Hamidur Rahman Azad, National Democratic Party chairman Khondkar Golam Mortaza, LDP secretary general Redwan Ahmed, and Labour Party president Mustafizur Rahman Iran were, among others, present at the briefing.