BNP Standing Committee Member Tariqul Islam said on Thursday that the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance was unlikely to announce any fresh agitation until Dec 26 to allow for peaceful observance of the Victory Day programmes.
”The Victory Day programmes will begin tomorrow (Friday). We also observe the Victory Day and we have programmes until Dec 26.” he said.” But if our demands are not met by then, we will be compelled to go in for more intense agitation ,”
But Tariqul told a news conference at the BNP’s Naya Paltan central office that the BNP would stage demonstrations across the country on Dec 23 and the senior leaders of the party and its allies would hold a ‘mass contact campaign’ programme on Dec 26 against the ‘misrule’ of the ruling Awami League.
Tariqul also demanded immediate release of BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Self Reliance Affairs Secretary Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu and other leaders and activists.
The opposition combine observed a half-day countrywide strike from 6am to 2pm demanding Alamgir’s release.
Tariqul claimed that the strike was a success “due to spontaneous popular support”.
”We don’t want to call for strikes. But the government, by repressing our leaders and activists, compelled us to go for shutdowns,” he said.
Taking a dig at the business community who want an end to strikes and disruptions, Tariqul said: “But why the business community wasn’t vocal when the Awami League in opposition called for strikes on 174 days during the five years of the BNP government (2001-2006)?”
