As the Awami League-led government has decided to go tough against the “violent activities” and “sabotage” of the BNP-Jamaat alliance, the ruling party plans to work with the law enforcement agencies on the streets side by side.
After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had shared the government’s decision with her party’s senior leaders, the central high command yesterday directed lawmakers, and presidents and general secretaries of different units around Dhaka to stay alert.
The directives came after a joint meeting of the party held at the party president’s political office at Dhanmondi chaired by General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, also the LGRD minister.
Terming the BNP-Jamaat activities “anarchic” and “sabotage,” Syed Ashraf urged the leaders to resist them alongside the law enforcers at any cost, meeting sources said.
After the meeting, Joint General Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have discussed about successfully holding Monday’s rally. The meeting also discussed about the ongoing violence and sabotage, and measures to resist them.”
Azmat Ullah Khan, general secretary of the Gazipur unit, who was also present at the meeting, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The party’s high-commend directed us to get ready for resisting any anarchic situation created by BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam.”
The meeting was arranged to make tomorrow’s rally at Suhrawardy Udyan successful. Party President Sheikh Hasina will be present at the rally when the central leaders of the 14-party alliance will also speak.
Although the party officially announced the rally to marking Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day, sources told the Dhaka Tribune that the party leadership was preparing for a massive show down by gathering thousands of people.
Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, another joint general secretary of the party, said no violence and secret attack created by the BNP-Jamaat would not be tolerate.
“If BNP does not stop violence in the name of movement, people will stop them by labelling them as ‘terrorists.’”
On the “fake” statement of six US congressmen in favour of the BNP and a rumoured phone conversation between the BNP chairperson and the India’s ruling BNP chief, Hanif said the Law Ministry was looking into the matter. If needed, the ministry would take legal action against the BNP leaders involved with the “forgery.”
On Thursday, Hasina at an emergency meeting with senior leaders said the government would go tough against the BNP-Jamaat for carrying out violence.
She also hinted that movement of the BNP chief might be restricted further if she provoked more anarchy.
Meanwhile, a senior leader seeking anonymity said the Awami League in no way would compromise or hold any dialogue with the BNP.
The next general election would be held in 2019 in line with the constitution (under the incumbent government), said the leader, also a former minister.
Yesterday’s meeting also asked the ward-level leaders of the capital to take to the streets today to thwart any subversive activities of the blockade supporters on the occasion of Akheri Munajat of the Biswa Ijtema, the senior leader told the Dhaka Tribune.
