48-hour hartal called by BNP, allies underway
Staff Reporter :
The main opposition party-BNP and its allies including Jamaat-e-Islami, Gonotontro Moncho and 12 party alliances’ enforced 48-hour hartal to forestall what they called the ‘one-sided parliament election’ to be held today (Sunday).
The hartal began at 6:00am on Saturday and will end at 6:00am on Monday.
BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi led a procession and picketing on the first day of the 48-hour hartal in favour of boycotting the election and non-cooperation movement.
The procession started from Shahbagh intersection in the capital at 7:30 am and ended at Bangla Motor. At that time, the leaders and activists protested and picketed by setting fire to tires.
A large number of people have left Dhaka city ahead of the January 7 national parliamentary election.
The number of vehicles on the street are fewer compared to other days, but despite fear of arson attacks, public vehicles were plying the streets. Four people were killed as arsonists burnt four coaches of the Benapole Express train in Dhaka last night.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the hartal at a virtual press briefing on Thursday.
He said their programme is meant to drum up public support in favor of the party’s call to boycott the January 7 election.
BNP along with nearly three dozen opposition political parties have been carrying out a simultaneous movement since December 10 last year to force the current government to quit and hold the 12th parliamentary election under a non-party neutral administration.
Many senior leaders, including BNP’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, were arrested while many others went into hiding in the face of a crackdown by the law enforcers.
However, BNP and like-minded parties enforced countrywide blockades for 23 days in 12 phases and hartals for five days since October 29.
The opposition party came up with the call for a non-cooperation movement on December 20.
Apart from these, Jamaat-e-Islami, Gonotontro Moncho and 12 party alliances’ also brought out processions and conducted mass contact and distributed leaflets among the people across the capital urging boycotting the ‘lopsided’ polls.
Meanwhile, the BNP has met with with the Commonwealth election observer group informing them about its staying out from the January 7 general election.
A six-member BNP delegation held the virtual meeting with the Commonwealth election observer group on Friday evening, two days before the upcoming 12th parliamentary polls.
BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan led the BNP delegation at the meeting which began at 5:10pm, said the party’s media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.
Party chairperson’s adviser Ismail Jabiullah, Organising Secretary Shama Obaed, Law Secretary Kayser Kamal, International Affairs Secretary Humayun Kabir, and Human Rights Affairs Secretary Asaduzzaman Asad were present in the meeting.
The Commonwealth delegation was informed by the BNP leaders on the present state of affairs before the January 7 national elections, he said.
BNP leaders said that the Awami League government is holding a ‘lopsided election’. The AL government is making an attempt to hold on to power by using “state machineries,” they said.
Orette Bruce Golding, a former prime minister of Jamaica, headed the 10-member Commonwealth team during the 1.35-hour meeting, which ended at 6:35 pm.
