The main opposition BNP-led 18-party alliance on Friday threatened that it will begin a series of non-stop anti-government movement after the poll schedule is declared. The Election Commission may announce the poll schedule either in the last week of November or in the first week of December. As part of its campaign, the 18-party alliance leaders and activists will create obstacles, so that the government is forced to meet its non-party caretaker government (CG) restoration demand, a BNP policymaker said. However, there will be scope for the government to meet the CG restoration demand until the last date of submission of nomination papers for the 10th parliamentary poll, he added.
It has been decided that the non-cooperation movement will be announced immediately after the declaration of the poll schedule to force the government to accept the opposition’s demand, BNP sources said. If the CG demand is not met,
the BNP-led alliance will initiate all-out efforts to thwart the general election under the Sheikh Hasina administration, they added.
Talking to The Independent, BNP standing committee member MK Anwar said there is no alternative but to go for a tougher movement to realise the CG demand.
Responding to a query, Anwar said the BNP did not embark on any tough programme as yet, keeping in mind the interest of the common people as well as the country’s peace and progress. But the alliance will have no other alternative if its demand is not met, he added.
Anti-government programmes, including hartals for three or four days, will be held by turn every week. All examinations, including JSC and JDC, however, will be kept out of the purview of the hartal programmes, he added.
At the same time, the opposition alliance will also initiate efforts to sit with the government to reach a consensus over the non-party poll-time management, Anwar added.
If the effort does not amount to anything, the opposition will let loose their all-party election-prevention committee which have been constituted in the districts to foil the poll, he added.
To make their mission a success, a secretary general-level meeting of the BNP-led 18-party alliance is scheduled for Saturday, where another course of a non-stop nationwide hartal for 60-hour may be announced, said a standing committee member. The meeting will be held at Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office at about 11 am, with BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in the chair.
While talking to this reporter, Shafiul Alam Prodhan said another 60-hour-long nationwide hartal may be announced from Monday, in demand for restoration of the CG provision. “We’ll observe hartals on November 4, 5 and November 6. We’ll also observe November 7 as the National Revolution Day. And then, we intend go for an intensive anti-government programme for a indefinite period,” he added.
Earlier, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had two separate meetings with her party’s standing committee members and top leaders of the 18-party alliance on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, respectively.
The 18-party leaders urged the BNP chief to call a three-day hartal from Monday, while BNP standing committee members urged her carry out the blockade programme, Prodhan said. “However, we have entrusted Khaleda with the authority to finalise the opposition’s next course of actioN,” he added.
As part of the ongoing anti-government programme, the 18-party alliance will hold rallies at upazila level headquarters in the capital and elsewhere on Saturday, demanding immediate release of their leaders and activists who were arrested during October 25 to October 29.
-With The Independent input
