BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday asked the ruling party to reconsider the date of their rally in Dhaka scheduled for Thursday.
During a press conference held at the BNP Naya Paltan central office in the afternoon, the BNP leader said the Awami League's affiliated bodies declared the peace rally on the same day as BNP's mass rally in a “deliberate attempt by the government to provoke a conflict”.
Mirza Fakhrul said the government will have to take responsible for any clashes that may arise from the situation. He alleged that a specific government figure has been delivering provocative speeches against the opposition's movement.
He highlighted that apart from the BNP, 36 more parties have united in demanding the removal of the government before the next general election. Even the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) asserts that fair elections are impossible under this government. The Jatiya Party and Charmonai Pir's Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) have also joined in demanding the government's resignation.
Additionally, Mirza Fakhrul accused the government of regularly imposing roadblocks and resorting to threatening behaviour through the language employed by government ministers, drawing parallels with terrorist-like rhetoric.
However, despite these obstacles, he said that the people of the country continue to stand resolute.
Mirza Fakhrul emphasized the importance of ensuring the constitutional right to assembly, highlighting that the government's actions are obstructing their freedom of speech and assembly.
He also alleged that disappearances and murders have risen alarmingly.