Almost all political parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, announced on Wednesday a one-point demand to oust the ruling Awami League.
BNP, the key party in the ongoing anti-government simultaneous movement among 36 political parties and alliances, announced the programme for the next course of movement through a huge gathering in front of its Naya Paltan central office in Dhaka.
Other parties announced the same programme at separate events in Dhaka on the same day.
Opposition parties in the country came up with the announcement at a time when a delegation of the European Union and a delegation of the United States were visiting the country to talk with various stakeholders, including political parties and institutions, about the next general election and some other issues.
The opposition parties announced that they would hold road-march programmes in divisional cities, including Dhaka, and district headquarters on July 18 and 19 to realise their one-point demand.
Addressing the rally, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced that in Dhaka, a road march will be held from Gabtoli to Jatrabari on July 18 from 10:00am to 4:00pm and from Abdullahpur to Bahadur Shah Park on July 19 10:00am to 4:00pm.
Outlining the party’s demand, Fakhrul said, ‘We have just one demand, no other demand, which is the resignation of the current fascist and authoritarian government that has taken away the voting rights of the people of Bangladesh, and the dissolution of the existing illegal parliament, the formation of an election-time impartial government, the election by reorganising the free, impartial, fair and participatory election system under it, the release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and all political prisoners, the withdrawal of the false and fictitious cases, the cancellation of prescribed sentences and cases against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, and the assurance of economic freedom of the people through democratic reform of the constitution and the state system.’
‘The opposition political parties and alliances, those are active on the streets, to simultaneously build a greater mass movement and demand the restoration of voting rights and democracy. I am announcing that it will be successful,’ Fakhrul said.
Thousands of leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations joined the rally, defying rain and police obstructions with colourful t-shirts and caps with various placards and party flags.
Fakhrul said the huge presence at the rally was a message for the Awami League to leave power immediately. ‘Otherwise, they will be forced to quit,’ he said.
He said that the huge presence of people in the BNP rally facing obstacles created at places, including Jatrabari, Savar, and Amin Bazar, proved that the government had no capacity to resist the BNP anymore.
Though the rally was scheduled for 3:00pm both sides of the road in front of the BNP office were filled up by 12:30pm.
To keep leaders and workers invigorated, songs were performed on the stage built in front of the BNP office. The leaders of the BNP and its associate bodies continued to speak periodically.
As a result, BNP started their programmes one hour early while party people took positions on the roads from the Fakirapool area to Kakrial and both sides of the main Paltan avenue.
