The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday started talks with opposition political parties to work out an outline for launching a united movement to what it said restore democracy and the people’s voting right by ousting the Awami League from power.
The BNP, as part of its talks, held the first meeting with the Nagarik Oikya at its Topkhana Road office in the capital.
The meeting took place after BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a press conference at the party chair’s Gulshan office on Monday night announced that the party had decided to hold talks with opposition political parties towards the ouster of the AL government.
The BNP leader told reporters that the party standing committee had taken the decision at a virtual meeting with acting chair Tarique Rahamn in the chair that night.
‘Our standing committee meeting has decided to formally start talks with political parties with the aim of forging a movement for the restoration of democracy. We will be starting the talks on Tuesday,’ Fakhrul told the press conference after the meeting.
He said that the BNP would have talks with political parties and finalise an outline for a united movement through discussions.
Replying to a question, he said that the party would not hold talks with just its alliance partners but also with other political parties.
Asked whether they would have a discussion with the Jamaat-e-Islami, Fakhrul replied that they intended to talk with every party, including Jamaat.
Replying to another question about the existence of the 20-party alliance, he said that they still did not abolish the 20-party alliance.
‘We will finalise the future course of the alliance through talks,’ he added.
About the objective of the talks, Fakhrul said that the BNP wanted to unite all opposition parties for a greater movement.
‘It may not be an alliance. The format [of the united movement] will be finalised through discussion,’ he added.
After the meeting with the BNP, Nagarik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna said that his party was willing to work with the BNP to oust the regime.
