As part of the party’s fresh programme of the ongoing movement, BNP’s Dhaka South and North City unit staged spate marches towards Malibagh from Basabo and Shahjadpur areas in the capital respectively to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated the programme in front of Shahjadpur’s Suvastu Nazar Valley around 3:30pm after a brief rally there.
The programme was also meant for registering the party’s protest against the filing of ‘ghost’ cases against opposition leaders and activists, soaring prices of essentials, frequent power cuts and the all-pervasive corruption by the Awami League government.
In a brief address prior to launching the programme, Mosharraf said corruption is now everywhere in Bangladesh from the highest level to the lowest level.
“The country’s resources have been depleted through siphoning off a huge amount of money abroad. The people of the country can’t afford food for two times a day. Even, the middle class is now getting poorer as the government has increased the prices of daily necessities whimsically,” he said.
He said people now do not go to polling stations as they can not cast their votes in the election under the current government. “No one wants to vote under this government. People won’t allow any more elections while Sheikh Hasina is in power. People won’t let that happen.”
The BNP leader called upon people from all walks of life to get ready for creating a mass uprising to oust the current ‘autocratic’ regime.
Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies joined the programme, carrying banners, festoons and portraits of the party’s top leaders.
Later, they started the march that ended near the Abul Hotel area in Malibagh after parading a long stretch of roads.
An adequate number of law enforcers were deployed to maintain law and order and fend off any untoward incident.
Besides, the leaders and activists of the Dhaka South City unit marched from Bashabo Balur Math to Malibagh Community Centre.
BNP standing committee member Miza Abbas formally launched the programme after a rally.
Speaking at the programme, he said Awami League has usurped power by holding the day’s voting at night. “They’ve indulged in unbridled plundering. They’ve now started playing the game with the map of Bangladesh. People will never let this happen.”
Mentioning that Bangladesh was liberated by sacrificing huge blood and many lives, he said the country’s people will no longer tolerate any foul play with them.
“We’ve started again our march today (Wednesday). Our march will end after overthrowing this fascist government,” he said.
After the rally, party leaders and activists took out the march that concluded near the Malibagh Community Centre amid the presence of law enforcers. Earlier before the Eid-ul-Fitr, BNP’s two Dhaka city units marched in the capital in several phases to press home their 10-point demand.
