Leaders of the ruling Awami League suspect that the BNP will attempt to launch a campaign of terror once Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina begins her four-day state visit to India in New Delhi today.
They may conduct insidious attacks on Hindu idols being constructed for the upcoming Durga Puja to tarnish the image of the Awami League, senior leaders of the ruling party said.
In order to prevent any anarchy, the government is taking measures across the country. Police are preparing lists of BNP leaders and supporters, while Awami League activists are preparing to meet them in the field, the leaders added.
During an Awami League meeting in May, Sheikh Hasina had instructed her party colleagues not to obstruct the opposition's movements. The premier issued a public statement with the same message during an Awami League program on July 23.
However, the party changed its stance on the matter following a large BNP rally in Dhaka on August 11.
An Awami league insider said: “The BNP is not holding political programs; its activists are committing acts of vandalism in the name of political programs. This is why the Awami League activists have been instructed to stand beside the mass people and protect their rights and property.”
Mahbubul Alam Hanif, a joint general secretary of the Awami League, on Sunday told Dhaka Tribune: “The BNP wants to practice politics with corpses. As the party doesn't believe in the people's power, they have chosen their old practices of terrorism and vandalism to embarrass the government.
“We do not have anything to say if they want to run political program peacefully, but if they act violently in the name of political demonstrations, then local administrations and law enforcement agencies will take tougher action against them.”
The BNP had been holding programs across the country since August 22 to protest against the increasing prices of essential commodities, including fuel, and the death of two leaders of Chhatra Dal and Swechhasevak Dal in Bhola.
From the end of August to the beginning of September, some of the BNP programs have been obstructed across the country by local administrations and ruling party supporters, including in Naryanganj.
AFM Bahauddin Nasim MP, another joint general secretary, said: “The Awami League believes in secularism and freedom of every religion in Bangladesh. If the BNP and Jamaat activists want to vandalize Hindu temples and idols ahead of the Durga Puja, Awami League leaders and activists will protect them. If needed, the Awami League supporters will protect the temples alongside law enforcement agencies.”
In response to a question, he said: “The law enforcement agencies are making a list of the criminals who took part in previous arson attacks, bombings, and terrorism across the country to prepare to tackle any upcoming crisis. What can the administration do if those names are also on the list of activists of the BNP and its associate bodies?”
