BNP observes silent protest, vows to remove govt through peaceful campaign
The BNP observed the first day of its four-day anti-government campaign in Dhaka yesterday, as leaders and activists walked in a silent march from Badda to Malibagh on Saturday afternoon, pressing for a 10-point demand including a poll-time non-partisan caretaker government.
The march covering around 4 kilometres of the capital began from Badda at 2:30pm and ended in Malibagh at around 4pm. BNP men were carrying national and party flags and different placards with slogans protesting price hikes and demanding the immediate resignation of the government.
But the protesters refrained from chanting any slogan, as BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they will force the government to go through the peaceful campaign.
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"We are marching to urge this government to resign immediately and without delay, transferring power to a caretaker government and allowing the people to vote in new elections," he said at a brief rally before the march began.
Until the political programme began, BNP activists managed to keep the traffic flow normal. But a huge traffic jam paralysed the area afterwards, prompting many passengers to walk to their destinations. Centering the programme, a large number of law enforcers was deployed on the route.
On 30 January, the Dhaka south city unit BNP will march from Jatrabari to Shyampur, while the political opposition will march from Gabtoli to Mirpur-10 intersection on 31 January. On 1 February, BNP will march from Mugda to Malibagh.
Highlighting the current situation of the country, Mirza Fakhrul said, "Prices of all food items have skyrocketed. Low-income groups are struggling to manage three meals a day."
"We are arrested for speaking out, we are prosecuted for protesting. Opposition leaders and activists are being detained with false and fictitious cases. They [government] have turned the entire country into a prison. Shall we accept it?"
The BNP secretary general said, "We have to bring back the right to vote and the right to speak."
"There will never be a fair election if this government remains in power. That is why the Awami League government must resign, this parliament must be dissolved, a caretaker government must be formed," Fakhrul added.
