Main opposition party BNP has apparently taken a page out of the ruling Awami League’s book to strengthen the movement for reinstating the caretaker government system after Eid-ul-Azha, especially targeting its October 25 rally.
The BNP wants to engage political parties that are not in the opposition 18-party alliance, and the like-minded professional bodies to strengthen the movement.
Party insiders said the plan was not to form an alliance but to bring all the forces outside the ruling cartel to a common platform and exert pressure on the government together.
In 2006, the Awami League, then in opposition, took a similar strategy by amassing all the forums, including the professionals, outside the then ruling four-party alliance to a single platform. The forums that stood by the Awami League then also included some with whom the party’s political ideologies did not quite match.
BNP leaders believe that the small parties may not have huge vote banks, but some individuals in those parties have the charisma to put pressure on the ruling party.
To make the mission successful, the main opposition party has been contacting Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob), Krishak Sramik Janata League, Gonoforum, and some other parties.
Bikalpadhara President Badruddoza Chowdhury on Friday said his party, Krishak Sramik Janata League and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob) had already united for the sake of building up a greater unity to resist any election without non-party caretaker government.
Mahi B Chowdhury, joint secretary general of Bikalpadhara, said: “We are already in the middle of a process to approach all the parties on caretaker issue. We will stand on the same platform after Eid to rejuvenate the movement for reinstalling caretaker government system.”
Kader Siddiqui, head of the Krishak Sramik Janata League, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The movement has already begun because except for a few from the ruling alliance, virtually everyone wants elections under a neutral government.”
At a rally in Rajshahi on September 16, Khaleda said: “Let us get united and sit together, no matter how big or small a party is, who is left or who is right, who is behind or who is in front …or who is a big leader or who is small. Now we do not have time to judge. Our only concern now is to save the country and arrange free and fair elections ousting the Awami League government.”
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the Dhaka Tribune: “Madam [Khaleda Zia] has actually called upon all the political parties and forces to get united on a common platform to save the country and democracy. Political polarisation is going on. Wait and see, I cannot tell you anything more right now.”
In addition to its plan to paralyse the capital through continuous blockades and sit-ins at strategic points isolate it from the rest of the country, BNP wants to exert force on the government through various bodies of professionals like doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, journalists, and so on.
The pro-BNP professionals, apart from trying to press home their own demands through a series of programmes after Eid-ul-Azha, would also pressure the government to switch back to the provision of non-partisan polls-time government.
Opposition chief Khaleda Zia is expected to attend and address the rallies that the professionals will stage.
The Skikkhak Karmachari Oikya Jote, the pro-BNP teachers’ organisation, will hold a rally in the capital on October 24.
The Sommilito Peshajibi Parishad, a platform of pro-BNP professionals, will hold their rally in Dhaka on October 20.
The Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, the pro-BNP lawyers’ body, will hold a rally on October 26.
Selim Bhuiyan, chairman of the Skikkhak Karmachari Oikya Jote, told the Dhaka Tribune that apart from strengthening their long-standing demands for nationalisation of jobs, cancellation of the draft education policy and enabling MPO in all educational institutions, they would also raise voice for a non-partisan polls-time government.
Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, secretary general of the Sammilito Peshajibi Parishad, said they would hold a national convention at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center on October 20, demanding election under a non-party caretaker administration and some other issues relating to democracy.
