BNP and other like-minded opposition parties, alliances and organizations are set to stage a sit-in in Dhaka and other divisions in Bangladesh as part of their simultaneous movement to unseat the current government.
The four-hour program will be observed from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday separately by the opposition parties and organizations to realize their 10-point demand, including holding the next polls under a neutral government.
It will be the second program of the simultaneous movement after the mass procession by 33 opposition parties on December 30.
BNP policymakers said the program was worked out for January 11 keeping in mind the political changeover that took place on that day in 2007 - an episode popularly known as 1/11 in the country.
Meanwhile, BNP Vice Chairman Dr AZM Zahid Hossain along with Law Affairs Secretary Kaiser Kamal met with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on Tuesday evening.
After coming out of the DMP headquarters at around 7:20pm, Dr Zahid said they got permission for observing the sit-in in front of the party's Naya Paltan central office from 10am to 2pm.
DMP chief Khandker Golam Faruq said they urged BNP to observe the program keeping traffic normal. "They (BNP) have to take the responsibility if there is a disruption in traffic."
Senior BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Mirza Abbas, will address the program.
Besides, Ganatantra Mancha will hold the program in front of the Jatiya Press Club and the 12-party alliance at Bijoy Nagar Water Tank, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote at Purana Paltan, LDP at FDC Crossing and Ganatantrik Bam Oikya in the east side of the Jatiya Press Club and Gono Forum (Montu) at Arambagh.
Though Jamaat-e-Islami joined the mass procession program with BNP and other parties on December 30, it has decided not to join the sit-in due to a strategic reason, said a senior leader of the party.
After the sit-in, the opposition parties and alliances are likely to announce fresh programs to intensify the simultaneous movement.
Besides, senior BNP leaders will take part in the sit-in in different divisions.
As per the plan of BNP, party standing committee members Gayeshwar Chandra Roy will lead the program in Sylhet division, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan in Rajshahi, Nazrul Islam Khan in Mymensingh, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in Chittagong, Selima Rahman in Barisal, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku in Rangpur, Vice Chairmen Barkat Ullah Bulu in Comilla, and Shamsuzzaman Dudu in Khulna and Advocate Ahmad Azam Khan in Faridpur.
Earlier, on December 30, BNP and 32 other like-minded opposition parties staged a mass procession in different parts of the capital and Rangpur as the first program of the simultaneous movement.
They also separately announced the sit-in across the country for January 11 as their next course of action, to press home their 10-point demand, including the resignation of the current government and formation of a polls-time caretaker government.
Earlier, on December 24, BNP held a mass procession in all divisional cities and district headquarters. Due to the national council program of the ruling Awami League and Rangpur city polls, BNP had rescheduled the same program in Dhaka and Rangpur for December 30.