The ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP are moving ahead with their plans to hold rallies in the capital on October 25.
The Dhaka city units of the two parties have announced to hold the rallies the BNP at any of Suhrawardy Udyan, Paltan ground or in front of the Nayapaltan party headquarters, and the Awami League in front of its central office on Bangabandhu Avenue.
The BNP is following the path of the then opposition Awami League, which mobilised thousands of its leaders and activists in Dhaka on October 28, 2006, the last day of BNP-Jamaat alliance government before handing over power to non-party caretaker administration. The incident resulted in bloodshed, ultimately bringing an army-led caretaker administration that tried to purge some political leaders from both the parties.
“We will hold a grand rally [in the capital] on October 25 if the government does not put in place a non-party interim government by October 24,” Abdus Salam, member secretary of Dhaka City unit BNP, told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday.
BNP Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka said they had already sought permission from the authorities to hold the rally at any of the three venues.
Asked about the party’s strategy in case the authorities denied to give the permission, Khoka said: “Time will tell everything.”
Awami League’s Dhaka city unit General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said: “We will hold a rally on October 25 in front of the party’s central office to counter them [the BNP’s programme].”
After an extended meeting of the party unit, Awami League Presidium member Mohammad Nasim said there was no possibility of any disaster after October 24. “Polls will be held even if the opposition does not take part. If the election is not held, the country will run as per the constitution.”
The Awami League and the BNP have both stuck to their guns the ruling party saying the election will be held as per the constitution and the main opposition demanding the next election under a non-partisan interim administration.
Diplomats, citizen groups and businesses have repeatedly urged the two major political parties to sit for talks to reach a consensus on holding an inclusive and credible election, but the parties are yet to hold any meeting publicly.
According to the constitution, the next general elections must take place between October 27 this year and January 24 next year, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury told parliament on September 12.
The charter says the Election Commission is bound to hold the polls within 90 days before the expiry of the five-year mandate of the Awami League-led ninth parliament.
At a rally in Sylhet on October 5, Khaleda warned the government that her party would wage a strong movement after October 25 if it did not accept the opposition’s demand for a non-partisan interim government by then.
“If the Awami League wants to hold a one-sided election, we will form all-party resistance committees at all centres together with people,” she told the rally.
The next day Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the next parliament elections would be held as per the parliamentary system of democracy practised in other countries of the world.
“We have to hold the next election following the constitutional process we have to begin the process from a certain stage so that no one could play with the fate of the country’s people,” she said, addressing a rally of professionals at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
On August 19, the BNP-led 18-party alliance announced that the BNP chairperson would hold meetings in five divisional headquarters and one district demanding election under a non-party interim government.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party chief would also hold meetings in Chittagong and Dhaka after Eid-ul-Azha.
Earlier on September 8, the former premier warned that non-stop movement programmes, including hartal and blockades, would be launched to mount pressure on the government.
Khaleda urged the government on October 8 to be “responsible” and take initiatives to resolve the existing political crisis. She said the government would have to negotiate over a polls-time government to save the country from “violence and uncertainty.”
“Time is running out fast. I hope they [the government] will come to a compromise to save the country from violence. Do not push the country towards uncertainty. I urge them to be responsible and try to understand the people’s pulse,” she said told business people at a programme.
