Ruling Awami League plans to use forces to scuttle Sunday’s ‘March for Democracy towards Dhaka’ programme of the opposition parties led by BNP, which is calling for a boycott of January 5 general election. AL leaders said on Wednesday that the government would not allow the opposition to create anarchy in the country in the name of the programme. A large number of police and members of other law enforcement agencies were deployed around BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence in the capital on Wednesday morning, hours after announcement of the March for Democracy programme.
Additional two platoons of police were put on duty in front of Khaleda’s residence at around 8:00am as part of the government initiatives to enhance security to the opposition leader, Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, told The Independent.
On Tuesday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at a crowded press conference urged the people from every corner to join the march towards Dhaka on Sunday to force the government to postpone the January 5 polls.
The government is determined to hold the 10th general election and that there will be no talks with the opposition before that, senior Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim said on Wednesday.
“We believe in election. Defying all odds, we had taken part in elections earlier. This time we are determined to hold the polls, and no one can resist us,” he said at a discussion marking the second death anniversary of AL former general secretary Abdur Razzaq.
Nasim said there is no scope for holding talks with the oppositions ahead of the 10th general election,. “Discussion could take place afterwards regarding the next polls,” he said.
Criticising the opposition, he said, they do not believe in election. “Otherwise, they would have taken part in the polls. They are staying away from the election because they will not participate in the polls without Jamaat-e-Islami,” he noted.
“I am surprised to hear Khaleda Zia urging the people to come to Dhaka with national flag. She insulted the national flag earlier, giving it to the hands of war criminals and anti-liberation elements,” he added.
State minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs Advocate Qamrul Islam said the leader of the opposition is now planning to spread violence in Dhaka after carrying out subversive activities outside the capital.
Talking to The Independent, Awami League joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said, “We believe in democratic movement, but if the opposition tries to create anarchy in the country in the pretext of Dhaka march programme, the law enforcers will resist them with iron hands.”
When asked whether the government has any plan to put Khaleda under house arrest the AL leader said, “It’s up to the members of law enforcing agencies. I can not make any comment on the matter.”
When contacted Awami League organising secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim alleged that BNP did not know how to wage a democratic movement, they only knew how to burn people to death.
“If they do the same thing on December 29 as they did in the past couple of months in name of political movement, the law enforcers will take care of them for the sake of providing security to the people,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a programme in the city, Awami League advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta described the opposition march for democracy programme as unconstitutional, undemocratic and illegal as well.
-With The Independent input
