Non-cooperation, mass-curfew, siege on cards
Amid the political deadlock over the country’s general election, BNP chairperson and opposition leader Khaleda Zia is going to hold a press conference on Tuesday to unveil the opposition’s next course of action and her proposal for holding the polls with the participation of all.
The press conference will be held at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office at 5:45pm, according to a press release singed by her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel.
“The BNP chairperson will hold the press conference to inform the country’s people about the opposition’s stand on the ongoing political crisis and the latest political situation,” Maruf told UNB.
In her press conference, barely two weeks ahead of the Jan-5 election, the opposition leader may call upon the country’s people to come forward with their all strength if the government tries to hold the polls as per the current schedule, party sources said.
Khaleda Zia, also the chief of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, will announce the next course of action to force the government to cancel the election schedule and arrange the 10th parliamentary polls under a non-party neutral administration.
This time she is expected to announce non-cooperation, mass-curfew and siege programmes to force the government to concede to the opposition’s demand.
The opposition leader may also unveil a proposal for holding the 10th parliamentary polls in April cancelling the January-5 schedule as there is no barrier to holding it after three months of dissolution of parliament as per the current constitution.
The former premier may explain why the dialogue between BNP and the ruling party delegations to overcome the ongoing political crisis with the initiative of the UN was not successful and describe the reasons for which the opposition boycotted the January-5 election.
Khaleda is also likely to call upon the opposition leaders and activists not to get involved in any type of confrontation with the members of army to be deployed across the country from December 26 to January 9 for the election.
A credible source close to the opposition leader said Khaleda may call for the decisive movement from December 28.
In her written speech at the press conference, the BNP chief is likely to focus on some other issues like army deployment, unchallenged election of 154 candidates, government’s ’game’ over Jatiya Party, role of the Election Commission, mass arrest of opposition leaders and activists, government’s repressive acts, and the country’s overall situation.
According to the sources, Khaleda have already discussed with the party’s senior leaders about what she may say in the press conference.
Earlier on October 21, Khaleda held a press conference at a city hotel and unveiled a proposal on the election-time government.
Since the government did not accept her proposal and the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls under the Awami League-led government, the opposition has decided to boycott the polls.
As per the current election schedule, there is no scope for the main opposition BNP to join the 10th parliamentary elections.
The opposition alliance has been on nonstop agitation programmes since the announcement of the polls schedule, demanding the arrangement of the election under a non-party administration and cancellation of the schedule.
The 18-party has already enforced more that 474 hours of road-rail-waterway blockade across the country in five spells –71-hour, 131-hour, 144-hour, 72-hour and current 83-hour ones — after the announcement of the election schedule, that left at least 78 people dead.
The 18-party enforced the fifth spell of 83-hour blockade at 6am on Saturday and it will end at 5pm on Tuesday, just 45 minutes before Khaleda’s press conference.
Source: UNB Connect
