BNP, Jamaat plan Dhaka blockade to oust AL govt

The BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and some other opposition parties are planning to organise a blockade of Dhaka in what they say is "the final attempt to overthrow the Awami League government". 

According to sources, an announcement in this regard may come from the BNP rally today, and the government will be given a week's deadline to resign.

If the demand is not met, the parties will wage an "all-out movement" from 26 October, after the Durga Puja holidays, ahead of a possible announcement of an  election schedule in the first week of November.

BNP-Jamaat insiders said they will hold blockades, sieges, sit-ins, strikes, and rallies as part of the "final push". The programmes will be centred in the capital but may also be held in districts outside Dhaka.

Both the BNP and Jamaat will hold demonstrations simultaneously at the same venues while some smaller parties will join them. Together, they plan to gather around 20 lakh people in Dhaka for an event but the date is yet to be fixed.

BNP-Jamaat leaders say they will try to occupy key locations in the capital, especially the entry points. 

During the programmes, hundreds of thousands of leaders and activists will picket in Uttara, Gabtoli, Syedabad, and Jatrabari areas. Several lakh activists will be deployed in Mohakhali, Farmgate, Shahbagh, and Nayapaltan.

According to BNP sources, local leaders and activists from all over the country have been instructed to arrive in Dhaka by 26 October and mentally prepared to stay for 15 days.

Jasim Uddin, member secretary of Cumilla South District BNP, said, "The central committee has given us all the instructions. Our local leaders have already made all kinds of preparations. Now we are waiting for the call from Dhaka."

"Our sole objective is the overthrow of the government through the combined movement, in collaboration with the people." [BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir]

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told The Business Standard, "We have reached the final stage of the movement. The final planning is still underway, but its results will be visible in a few days. It will be a do-or-die movement before the illegal election schedule is announced."

According to Jamaat sources, the district committees outside Dhaka have been instructed to bring 20,000 to 30,000 activists each to Dhaka.

A senior Jamaat leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TBS that the party aims to gather 8-10 lakh people in Dhaka for a grand rally after the puja.

Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Abdul Halim said, "We hope that our movement will soon lead to the fall of the government."

"We have reached the final stage of the movement. The final planning is still underway, but its results will be visible in a few days. It will be a do-or-die movement before the illegal election schedule is announced." [Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP] 

Sources in the both parties say the central leaders are keeping in mind the possibility of attacks by the Awami League members during their movement, especially at Dhaka University, Dhanmondi, and Gulistan areas. 

The leaders believe that the movement will lead to an increase in "the support of the Western democratic world" for the opposition in Bangladesh, and that they will receive "full support" if they take to the streets in full force. 

They have got green signals from "diplomatic channels" for the movement, they said.

BNP Vice Chairman Ahmed Azam Khan said, "The fall of the government cannot be prevented by announcing the election schedule."
Mustafizur Rahman Iran, chairman of the Bangladesh Labour Party, which is in a coordinated effort with the BNP to overthrow the AL government, said, "The people are gearing up for a comprehensive movement to oust the government, and you will witness it after the puja."

At a youth rally on 16 October, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir asserted that there is no turning back now.

"Our sole objective is the overthrow of the government through the combined movement, in collaboration with the people," declared Fakhrul.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal recently informed the media that a plan is in place to announce the election schedule in the first week of November. The electoral process is anticipated to conclude by the first week of January next year.