Khaleda to meet press Wednesday
The BNP-led 18-party alliance is going to call a countrywide hartal for January 29, the day when the 10th parliament will go into its maiden session, apparently retreating from its action programmes like non-stop hartal and blockade.
Besides, leader of the alliance and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will hold a press conference on Wednesday to formally express their observations about the January 5 national election and spell out their next course of action.
The decisions were taken at a meeting between Khaleda and top leaders of the alliance on Monday night held at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.
After nearly a two-month gap, Khaleda sat with the top leaders of her party-led 18-party around 9pm to discuss the country’s latest political situation and work out their action plan.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Islamic Party Chairman Abdul Mobin told UNB, “We’ve decided in the meeting to call a nationwide hartal on January 29.”
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will announce the shutdown programme at a press conference on Wednesday, he added.
He, however, said they also decided to continue their ongoing movement bringing some new dimensions to it to push the government for arranging a fresh national election under a non-party administration.
LDP chairman Oli Ahmed told the awaiting journalists at the BNP chief’s office that they in the meeting pinpointed their both failures and successes.
He claimed that it was their great success that people did not go to polling stations responding to Khaleda’s call for boycotting the elections.
“Even five percent voters did not go to voting centres to cast their votes. People rejected the election. So, we’ve decided to thank people on behalf of our alliance,” the LDP chief said.
Pointing at India, Oli claimed that no one expect a country supported the elections.
Meeting sources said the alliance will not pursue any tougher action programme for the time being due to the birth anniversary of BNP founder late president Ziaur Rahman on January 19 and Biswa Ijtema.
But the BNP chief will visit some districts very soon to put the alliance leaders and activists on a war mood to launch a vigorous movement with zeal, the sources said adding that she will then announce the tougher programmes.
The meeting also discussed the Prime Minister’s call to the BNP chief for severing ties with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. “If we lose voters because of having our alliance with Jamaat we will be affected. “Why should it be the matter of the Prime Minister’s headache?” an alliance leader quoted Khaleda as asking.
The leader also claimed that most of alliance leaders supported the Khaleda’s observation regarding Jamaat.
All but three chiefs of the alliance were present at the meeting. Jamaat’s working council member Redwan Ullah Shahedi represented his party on behalf of its acting ameer Makbul Ahmed.
Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Islam acting secretary general Shahinur Pasha and Khelafat Mojlish secretary general Ahmed Abdul Quader represented their party at the meeting.
Liberal Democratic Party-LDP Chairmen Oli Ahmed, Islami Oikya Jote Chairmen Abdul Latif Nezami, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chairman Andaleeve Rahman, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party-JAGPA President Safiul Alam Pradhan, Bangladesh Kalyan Party Chairman Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, Islamic party chairman Abdul Mobin, National People’s Party (NPP) Chairman Sheikh Shawkat Hossein Nilu were also present at the meeting.
Source: UNB Connect