BNP, Jamaat call blockade for Wednesday, hartal for Thursday

The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have announced a fresh 24-hour nationwide blockade on Wednesday and a 12-hour hartal for Thursday.

At a virtual press briefing on Monday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the eighth round of blockade on roads, railways, and waterways to press home the party's one-point demand – resignation of the government and elections under a non-partisan neutral government.

The blockade will be enforced from 6am Wednesday to 6am Thursday and hartal will be observed from 6am to 6pm on Thursday, Rizvi said.

Jamaat-e-Islami's acting secretary general ATM Masum announced a similar programme in a press release.

Insiders within the parties say family members of the arrested leaders and activists will hold a protest rally on Tuesday morning on the National Press Club premises, demanding the release of their relatives.

In November, so far 18 days were marked by three phases of hartals and five phases of blockades. Hartals were observed on 19-20 November with blockades continuing for the remaining days.

During the press briefing, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the upcoming election will be contested between "the Awami League and the boat symbol".

"On the sidelines, there will be leaders from the 'queen's parties' and the 'rootless parties' who have compromised their principles for monetary gain," he said.

Rizvi said, "Disregarding citizens' voting rights, Sheikh Hasina has once again set up a bazaar for the distribution of MP posts at her residence in Ganabhaban, which is considered a refuge for the fascists. This has been orchestrated to elect certain greedy politicians with affiliations to the Awami League and fascism, similar to what occurred in 2014 or 2018."

The BNP leader further said, "The electoral system of Bangladesh is decaying under the control of Sheikh Hasina. What is now labelled as an election has turned into a circus drama, with opposition leaders and activists imprisoned. The entire democratic world stands in solidarity with us.

"People worldwide are astonished by Sheikh Hasina's tactics in electoral manipulation. Her approach to the upcoming elections seems more like a party council than a national poll. Sheikh Hasina aims to deceive people globally, but convincing the ordinary citizens of Bangladesh and the international community with this absurd charade is implausible."

Meanwhile, the 48-hour BNP-led blockade saw limited enforcement on Monday, with reduced public transport observed in various areas of the capital.

Despite an increase in vehicles during the afternoon, long-distance buses remained stationary due to a shortage of passengers.