Activists of the BNP-led 20-party alliance will not be allowed to enter Dhaka city from January 1, with Awami League supporters staying on the streets to resist them, the ruling party has said.
Addressing a rally in the capital yesterday, Awami League’s Dhaka city unit General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said the ruling party men would take position on the field from the start of January.
“The BNP-Jamaat alliance led by Khaleda Zia would not be allowed to come in field from January,” he added.
Maya, also the disaster management and relief minister, claimed that supporters of Awami League’s Dhaka city unit, Chhatra League, Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League and other associate bodies would keep watch over the city’s streets and take position at every road and neighbourhood to protest BNP’s January 5 agitation programmes.
Terming January 5 the day for protecting democracy, he said: “If the national polls had not taken place on January 5 last year, the country’s democracy would have fallen into a deep crisis. For this reason we have announced of observing they day as Victory Day of Democracy.”
Calling the BNP-Jamaat alliance “the enemies of democracy,” the minister blamed them for trying to create agitation in the country with their January 5 programmes.
Maya urged party leaders and activists to stay alert and resist any BNP-Jamaat act of anarchy.
“Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir recently said they would call hartal if they are not allowed to come on the field on January 5. January is not the original issue; they [BNP] had tried to hinder the war crime trials by calling hartals again and again,” he said.
Yesterday’s rally was organised by Bangladesh Muktijoddha Projonmo League at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. Chaired by the organisation’s President Fatema Jalil, the rally was also addressed by Dhaka City Awami League Vice-President Fayez Uddin Miah, Organising Secretary Shahe Alam Murad and several others.
Earlier, the Awami League had announced of observing January 5 – the day the 10th national elections were held – as the Victory Day of Democracy.
The BNP-led 20 party alliance, however, termed January 5 as a “Black Day” and also announced several programmes on that day.
On Monday, the alliance also sought permission from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to hold public rallies in the capital on January 3 and 5 to mount pressure on the government to hold national election under a non-partisan government.
The BNP and its associated organisations’ leaders also vowed that they would come on the field in the capital on January 5 at any cost.