BNP changes strategy of street agitations

Special Correspondent :
The main opposition BNP has changed its strategy of launching street agitations. It now plans to generate broad-based movement of professionals bodies and civil society, which the party policymakers feel would effectively isolate the government at home and abroad.
 “Two issues, the National Broadcast Policy and the Cabinet’s approval to the proposed 16th amendment to the Constitution empowering Parliament to impeach Supreme Court judges, would be the focal points of this movement,” a senior BNP policymaker told The New Nation on Thursday.
 “The BNP and its 20-party alliance role will be supportive to this movement. This will help BNP to reorganize and consolidate its organizational machinery and party activists will get a breathing space since they will be less harassed by the government,” he said, adding that BNP would concentrate in opinion mobilizing progammes.
The strategy of launching ‘tougher (street) agitations’ that party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia announced during Ramzan after the Eid was changed due to three reasons. First Jamaat-e-Islami’s reluctance to participate in 20-party alliance’s programme, second, the BNP’s inability to gather enough number of people in demonstrative programmes and the two new issues would help organize middle class, professionals and civil society people.
 “Even those, who do not like BNP’s politics, will rally round the movement against National Broadcast Policy and proposed 16th amendment to the Constitution,” another BNP Standing Committee member said.
BNP leaders said the party needed at least three months time to reorganize its Dhaka city units and different front organizations. “Besides,
we will have to watch Jamaat’s strategy for a few month,” another BNP leader said.
When asked, BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir evaded a direct answer as to whether his party has changed the previous strategy of the movement or not.
 “We are very much in the movement against misrule, corruption and autocratic behaviour of the government and we will force this non-elected regime to hold fresh general elections as early as possible,” he asserted.