Frustration gripped the grassroots-level activists and supporters of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party due to the party’s apparent failure to effectively enforce the recent street programmes before the January 7 election to ensure the fall of the Awami League government.
They were also unhappy with the party’s diplomatic relations wing, saying that they had expected some immediate steps from Western countries after the ‘one-sided and controlled’ election that was boycotted by most people.
Several BNP activists from districts told New Age that the party’s street movements like the hartal and blockade failed due to ignorance or the incapacity of party leaders at different levels.
‘On several occasions, we saw the party leaders go into hiding when activists were being arrested on the streets,’ a BNP leader from Cumilla district told New Age.
The failure of the street movement was also discussed in some recent meetings of the BNP with its partners in the ongoing simultaneous movement.
The like-minded political parties of the BNP believed that there was a mistake in the plan of the movement to oust the government around the January 7 election and that there was also a failure in diplomatic activities.
They said that the movement did not succeed mainly because of these two mistakes.
The assessments have come out in BNP’s series of meetings with the parties participating in the simultaneous movement since January 9.
After reviewing the overall situation, the like-minded parties participating in the movement also gave some suggestions on what to do in the future by correcting mistakes.
Several leaders of the parties in the simultaneous movement confirmed it to New Age.
On January 14, the top leadership of the BNP held a meeting with the Ganatantra Mancha at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan.
The recent meetings were held as part of taking stakeholders’ views on post-election action.
In all the meetings, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman was connected virtually from London.
At these meetings, they said that the only success of the movement was the people’s boycott of polling, as most voters in the country did not appear in polling centres.
They said that the diplomatic failure of the BNP was also discussed at the meeting.
A leader present at the meeting said that the expected level of diplomatic activity was not seen.
In a meeting with the BNP on January 9, the leaders of the 12-party alliance also said that there was a mistake in the movement plan of the BNP.
Asked, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told New Age that there was no way the opposition movement could be called a failure.
‘Yes, there is some frustration among party activists and supporters. We are working to address all the issues, as the movement has not ended yet,’ he said.
About the diplomatic failure, BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan told New Age that foreigners do not react immediately to some issues.
‘Many people think that maybe they are silent. It should be remembered that the process of observing and reacting is a little different for foreigners,’ he said.
BNP activists are criticising the party leadership for not considering any alternative plans during the October 28, 2023, Dhaka grand rally.
The rally was foiled midway, as police and AL activists carried out an attack.
BNP is set to observe a two-day black-flag procession programme for January 26–27, demanding the cancellation of the 12th parliament and protesting at the soaring prices of essential commodities.
New Age
