BNP declares one-point demand to oust govt, announces countrywide silent march on 18 July

The BNP on Wednesday declared a one-point demand of holding a free and fair election under a non-partisan government after ousting the current government.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also said at a rally at Paltan the demand includes dissolving the current parliament.

The opposition party also announced a march across the country on 18 July. In Dhaka, marches will be held from 10am to 4pm from Gabtali to Jatrabari on 18 July. Another march will be held from Uttara to Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka on 19 July. Together, these rallies will cover all areas in the capital from north to south, and east to west.

BNP along with 36 other political parties have decided to adopt the one-point movement, said the BNP secretary general.

"Today's announcement is a historic moment in Bangladesh's political history. This is a declaration to liberate the nation, to regain the nation's lost democracy," said the BNP secretary general.

People in different groups joined the procession snaking through the roads leading to Paltan. Defying some of the conditions fixed by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, BNP leaders and activists thronged to the party's central office.

"Bangladesh jabe kon pothe, Foysala hobe rajpothe," loosely translated as "Political activities on streets will decide Bangladesh's fate" was written on a placard held by the youths who were chanting slogans while marching through the Kakrail area to join the BNP rally.

Mirza Fakhrul also said Justice Khairul Haque should be tried, because he has cancelled the judgement for forming a caretaker government. He signed the judgement 16 months after retiring. He has destroyed the election system in the country."

Mirza Abbas, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said, "The Awami League has held a peace rally, but their assembly is so small, it can be called a meeting, not an assembly."

Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said "Sheikh Hasina knows that she has to leave, she also knows which country will give her a visa and which country would not. There is no compromise with them, there will be no elections in Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina."

Abdul Moin Khan, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said, "This government has killed democracy in the country and established a tyranny, deprived them of human rights. Awami League is taking away all the rights of people in Bangladesh, so our one-point demand is ousting the Awami League government."

BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, "Today's announcement matches the announcement of Ziaur Rahman in the 1971 liberation war."

Khasru warned the judges of the judicial department, saying, "Today's judges have fallen under the visa policy due to their misdeeds such as helping them steal votes, accepting false cases, etc. I warned the judges, no one will be exempted, the judges should not help steal votes."

It's now or never, say BNP activists 

People from all walks of life started gathering at the BNP office in Paltan on Tuesday night. They sang patriotic songs, recited Kazi Nazrul Islam's poetry till the party's top leaders arrived on the podium at around 3pm Wednesday.

Thousands of BNP activists came to the rally from different parts of the capital by pickup vans, local buses, and on foot. Many even came from different parts of the country. They wore bandanna, put colourful t-shirts with slogans on them.

Swapan Sheikh, member of the BNP's Netrokona unit, said he had to change his mode of transportation three times before he could reach Paltan as the vehicles were scarce on the road. He came from Netrokona to Gazipur by bus, and then reached Kamalapur by train. From there, he went to Paltan on foot around 12pm. 

"I have never seen police acting so friendly toward the BNP men before. I encountered many of them at different places but none of them barred me from going to Paltan.

"The wind of change is blowing. It is high time to restore democracy in the country," Swapan said enthusiastically before ending his short interview with the media and joining the rally. 

He, along with many others around him, chanted slogans like "We want democracy, we want justice", "Stop the political Killing", and "Go back Hasina, step down Hasina".

Russell Miah, a young BNP activist who came from Kochua, Chandpur, told The Business Standard, "We [BNP activists] cannot even stay at home peacefully. After the US announced its new visa policy, we can join the party's programmes and activities.

"We demand bringing back the caretaker government system to restore the public's voting rights." 

Matin, who arrived at Paltan from Narsingdi on Tuesday night, said, "The Awami League has snatched away people's voting rights. People used to become the king for a day every five years, but now they have lost that power. We want our rights back."

"They have been singing wholeheartedly. Their quivering voices now have turned loud and clear. And their demand is a free, fair and inclusive election, where people would be allowed to choose their representative," said Mohammad Sohel, a student living in Paltan, who came to see the rally with a curious mind. 

"This is something different, there is no chase and counter chase. Police seem to be so calm and neutral!" he said.

With snapped sandals in one hand Amena Begum, 52, a member of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Mohila Dal's Manikganj district committee, was walking barefoot among hundreds of women amid the monsoon drizzling at Kakrail area.

Asked why she came, Amena said, "If I do not come then who would? It is now or never. Have you seen how much the sugar price has soared? If you do not talk now, you will be nowhere very soon."   

In the afternoon, the rally spilled over to Motijheel, Notre Dame College, Arambagh, Fakirapool, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Mouchak, Kakrail, Nightingale, Mats Bhavan, Segunbagicha, Vijay  Nagar, Paltan Mor areas.