The BNP-led 18-Party Alliance may enforce tough anti-government campaigns, including hartals, demanding immediate release of their detained leaders and holding of the next general election under the supervision of a non-party caretaker government, said BNP spokesperson Shamsuzzaman Dudu. An announcement in this regard is expected to come out from a public meeting scheduled for Monday at 3 pm in front the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters, he added.
While talking to The Independent, Dudu, also adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, said the 18-Party alliance is yet to be allowed to stage its public meeting on the scheduled time. “We expect that good sense would prevail upon the government and we will be allowed to hold our rally in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office in a peaceful manner,” he added.
Responding to a query, he said a tougher anti-government campaign is going to be announced from the rally to put pressure on the government to meet the opposition’s various demands.
The BNP-led 18-Party Alliance will hold the rally, demanding immediate and unconditional release of its detained partymen, withdrawal of all false cases against them and holding of the next general election under a non-party CG oversight.
On May 9, national standing committee, the highest policy making body of BNP and its political partners, held separate meetings with Khaleda Zia and took a decision to enforce a two-day-long hartal from Wednesday to press home their CG restoration demand.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance will hold the rally in front of its central office at Naya Paltan on Monday after its 48-hour ultimatum to the government to accept the CG restoration to the Constitution. On May 4, the BNP chairperson issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government at a large rally at Motijheel Shapla Chattar in the city over the CG restoration demand.
Khaleda Zia also demanded release of her party’s detained leaders and withdrawal of cases lodged against them intentionally. The ultimatum ended on May 6.
-With The Independent input