The transport owners in Dhaka have decided to operate their vehicles on Sunday regardless of the day-long hartal imposed by the BNP.
Confirming the matter to Dhaka Tribune on Saturday, Mashiur Rahman Ranga, president of Bangladesh Transport Owners' Association, said: “We do not accept this hartal. If any of our vehicles gets damaged or is vandalized during the strike, BNP will have to take the responsibility."
This decision came soon after BNP calledfor the dawn-to-dusk hartalin Dhaka city on Sunday, rejecting the results of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) elections, which were held on Saturday.
“This hartal has no justification whatsoever. We cannot let our citizens suffer. BNP will have to compensate us if one of our vehicles gets even scratched,” Ranga reiterated.
“You [the BNP] chose toparticipate in the EVM election, and then are refusing to comply with the people's verdict. This is not acceptable,"Ranga further said.
While making the hartal announcement on Saturday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while raising several allegations about the city polls, urged people to observe the dawn-to-dusk strike peacefully.
The ruling Awami League has vowed to resist the hartal by deploying its leaders and activists at major locations around Dhaka.
Claiming that the BNP called an undemocratic hartal to hide their failure in the city polls, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said the party activists will be on the streets to avoid any untoward incidents.
