The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party is trying to rejuvenate the party leaders and activists through fresh street programmes, while the ruling Awami League is showing its uncompromising attitude by calling 鈥榗ounter-rallies鈥� on the same day following the opposition party鈥檚 announcements.
At the latest, the BNP held two back-to-back rallies in Dhaka city demanding the unconditional release of party chairperson Khaleda Zia and other political prisoners.
In both rallies, several thousand opposition leaders and activists holding placards joined to hear their leaders giving a call to get ready for another round of movement to oust the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government from power.
In front of the BNP Naya Paltan central office, its Dhaka city south unit organised a rally and procession on Friday and Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal, the youth body of the party, held a rally on Saturday.
On the other hand, the AL held a press conference at its Bangabandhu Avenue central office on Friday and announced a 鈥榩eace and development rally鈥� for Saturday in Mohammadpur in the capital.
Several AL leaders told 抖阴精品 that the ruling party has decided not to give any space to the BNP in the coming days just as they did not concede them any space before the January 7 general election.
They said that the AL fears that the BNP is now waiting for a situation to put the government in a difficult situation and can come back to the street anytime to take revenge.
鈥楾here is no scope to leave the BNP to its own devices as the party earlier proved how much violent it can be,鈥� AL presidium member Shahjahan Khan told 抖阴精品, adding that they are calling programme on the same day the main opposition is calling not to create chaos but to ensure safety and security of people.
He said that the BNP鈥檚 movement is not a democratic one as it is always trying to put Bangladesh on the back foot and grab the state power in an undemocratic way.
鈥楢s they [BNP] had failed before the parliamentary polls, now they are trying to create obstacles in the way of the country鈥檚 development,鈥� he said, adding that the people elected the AL to ensure their security and so the ruling party is on the right track.
BNP insiders said that the party is planning to create a movement situation initially with its own capacity so that other opposition parties can join as they did earlier in the BNP-led simultaneous movement.
They said that initially the BNP and its associate bodies would hold street programmes mainly on Friday and Saturday demanding the release of jailed leaders and activists and also raising contemporary public interest issues.
They said that the party policymakers think that since the January 7 general election party activists descended in serious frustration and the start of immediate street movement is necessary to rejuvenate them.
鈥榃e didn鈥檛 give any break in our movement in the past 15 years to establish democracy in the country. And it鈥檚 true that we have seen many ups and downs in the meantime,鈥� BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said.
He said that before the January 7 鈥榙ummy鈥� elections several thousand BNP leaders and activists were arrested some of whom were released after the polls.
Many of the released leaders and activists have to take medical treatment for the illnesses they had developed while being kept in utterly inhuman condition in jails, Rizvi said, adding that each of their activists is ready for the call to come to the street anytime.
鈥榃e have no need for any extra preparation for movement as the BNP people consider their lives as the lives of the fighters,鈥� he said.
BNP leaders said that the party had at least three times reached huge momentums in movement through street agitations, but every time they failed to drive the movement home,聽 thwarted by indiscriminate arrests, physical attacks and a lack of finishing capacity.
