Fresh agitation if road blockade obstructed: BNP

Moudud Ahmed

BNP on Friday threatened to announce fresh agitation programmes if the government obstructs the opposition’s eight-hour road blockade slated for Sunday.

“We’ll observe our blockade programme peacefully and take our movement to its peak through it. So, we ask the government not to block our programme… fresh action programmes will be announced forthwith if we’re obstructed,” said Moudud Ahmed, a standing committee member of the main opposition party.

The former law minister issued the warning while addressing a discussion at the National Press Club on the necessity of caretaker government. Bangladesh Youth Forum, a pro-opposition platform, arranged the programme.

On November 28, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia declared the road blockade programme from a public rally of the BNP-led 18-party alliance to press home their various demands, mainly for restoration of the caretaker government to oversee the next general election.

Meanwhile, Khaleda Thursday night sat with her party’s policymakers, greater Dhaka leaders and alliance partners, and put them at a war mood to make Sunday’s road blockade programme a success to force the government to meet their demand

Khaleda in her three marathon meetings with the top leaders of her party and alliance also elaborately discussed the strategies to successfully enforce the protest programme across the country on Sunday.

Briefing reporters about the meetings, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam said they have taken all-out preparations to enforce the blockade from 6:00am to 2:00pm to protest the government’s anti-democratic activities and force it to restore the caretaker government system.

Addressing the discussion, Moudud said the opposition will continue their movement until the government bows out. “No leader and activist of the 18-party alliance will return home until the movement succeeds. But if the government pushes us towards violence, it’ll invite great danger for itself.”

Moudud also said corruption in Padma bridge project will be a death trap for the government. “The government itself has built it, not by the opposition. The government is unlikely to be able to come out of the death trap,” he said.

The former law minister also alleged that the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission are jointly trying to save the corrupt people behind the Padma bridge scam, but they cannot save them.

Moudud hoped that Awami League will accept the BNP’s demand for restoration of the caretaker government to save its existence.

He said Awami League will be hit hardest in case of the recurrence of the 1/11-like political changeover.

Source: The Daily Star