BNP, Jamaat call another round of blockade for Sunday, Monday
The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have declared a fresh 48-hour nationwide blockade for Sunday and Monday.
At a virtual press briefing on Thursday (23 November), BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the seventh round of blockade of roads, rail lines, and waterways to press home the party's one-point demand – resignation of the government and elections under a non-partisan neutral administration.
The blockade will be enforced from 6am Sunday (26 November) to 6am on Tuesday (28 November), Rizvi said.
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Jamaat also expressed its solidarity with the BNP programme in a statement, signed by its acting secretary general ATM Masum, issued right after BNP's announcement.
The fresh blockade announcement came just hours before the conclusion of a two-day nationwide blockade on Thursday.
A total of 410 BNP leaders and activists have been arrested nationwide in the last 24 hours, Rizvi claimed during the briefing.
Rizvi also alleged that over 3,000 BNP men have been detained following the election schedule announcement.
"The historical narrative of this nation asserts that no oppressor can endure the resilience of its people. Despite the arrests, cases, and assaults, the people vow to remain on the streets until this government is ousted," he added.
In a statement, Jamaat's acting secretary general ATM Masum said, "The fascist government organised questionable elections in 2014 and 2018, undermining people's voting rights. There are concerns about another one-sided election being planned, like previous ones.
"We are declaring the blockade in protest against the unfair verdict cancelling Jamaat's registration, the announcement of the election schedule, demanding the government's resignation and election under a caretaker government," the Jamaat leader said.
Political turmoil has engulfed the country since 28 October when opposition demonstrations were marked by clashes, deaths and violence.
The BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and other like-minded parties have been declaring hardline political programmes since then to realise their demands.
