Alongside the countrywide mass campaigns, the BNP is likely to enforce hartals and blockades as a last resort to prevent the January 7 election in the first seven days of the new year.
The party’s policymakers have decided to continue the program to prevent people from voting. From January 8, the party will have another program get underway based on the election situation and the results.
Senior BNP leaders hope that, after the election, the US will strictly implement the visa policy and impose various sanctions step by step. For this reason, the party has decided to continue the programs post-election to create pressure on the government.
The continuous hartal may continue till the day before the election. Before this, until December 31, the BNP will continue distributing leaflets, urging voters to boycott the election.
The BNP hopes that the government will be forced to resign as the vote boycott program reaches a climax on January 1-4, according to several senior leaders who attended some important meetings recently. They say the like-minded parties in the simultaneous movement, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, will lend support to the program.
A BNP policymaker said the party is ready to defy any obstacle if the army takes a stand against the programs.
The army will be deployed across the country to assist in the election process on January 3.
The BNP Standing Committee will hold meetings on Friday and Saturday to finalize the program based on the opinion of the party’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman.
The party announced its non-cooperation movement on December 20—after observing a series of hartals and blockades since October 29, urging people to boycott the January 7 election. It has also appealed to people not to pay taxes or utility bills, and not to deposit money in banks.
The BNP also asked its leaders and activists not to appear in court in what the party characterized as "false" cases, and categorically requested that the officers and employees assigned to election duties refrain from carrying out their responsibilities.
Earlier, in their speeches at public rallies, some senior leaders asked the law enforcers not to follow the orders of the government. In May this year, the party prepared a list of over 500 police officers who were allegedly involved in political repression and brutality, the disruption of opposition programs and activists, enforced disappearances, and killings over the past few years.
The BNP, which has been out of power since 2006, formed a 14-member "Information Collection Committee" on May 23 to collect information on people “obstructing their peaceful program to restore democracy in the country”. The list was meant to be shared with the international community.
Who will join?
Another central leader, seeking anonymity, said: “Our leaders who are in hiding will be on the streets at different times, despite knowing that they may face arrests. In any situation, we will carry out sit-in programs and hartals-blockades amid army deployment. This time, massive gatherings will be ensured during the programs. Next week's programs are going to be the most extensive.”
The leaders who are involved in the formulation of the BNP strategy said that discussions have started with the participants in the simultaneous movement and the like-minded important political parties in the field of the movement regarding the programs before and after the elections.
BNP sources said the Jamaat will join its simultaneous program. However, no one wished to make a comment on this.
What’s the plan?
According to party sources, the top leadership recently held a virtual meeting with the decision-makers on the new program. They suggested that if they announce a program for eight consecutive days, the leaders and activists will get encouragement, and the people will get an idea about their plans.
The BNP leaders and activists will monitor the polling stations throughout the election day, report the incidents of chaos, rigging, or violence to the Election Commission, and start a program to demand the cancellation of the election results.
But if the boycott program does not succeed, the BNP will enforce a program of vote boycotting and blocking on election day.
Standing Committee Member Selima Rahman said the programs will continue until the fall of the government. Leaflet distribution and mass communication programs are underway to build public opinion in favour of the boycott and non-cooperation movement.
“After that, there will be continuous programs. The BNP will enforce important programs in the first week of the year,” she told Dhaka Tribune.
After the election, the BNP will continue its nationwide agitation, demanding the cancellation of the e-gazette. If a new government is formed despite this continuous program, the BNP will be on the streets, demanding the resignation of the new government and a fresh election schedule.