Leaders of the 18-party alliance at a meeting on Wednesday night entrusted BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia with the authority to finalise the opposition’s next course of action whether it would be hartal or blockade.
The meeting was held at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office with Khaleda Zia in the chair.
At the meeting, the top leaders of the BNP-led 18-party alliance suggested Khaleda Zia to enforce another three-day hartal on Monday instead of blockade which the BNP standing committee members had planned at another meeting with her earlier on Monday night.
An 18-part leader who was present in the meeting told UNB wishing anonymity that most of the alliance leaders gave their opinions in favour of hartal instead of blockade to force the government for arranging the next polls under a non-party administration.
But, he said, Khaleda differed with them saying that people want different programmes and the blockade would be more appropriate in this regard to mount pressure on the government.
Later, the leaders gave her the authority to take the final decision in this regard.
About the much-talked-about dialogue, the alliance leaders suggested her to go to talks only if the government invites her again with specific agenda on the caretaker government.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia sat in the parley with the alliance leaders around 9:40 pm and conveyed them the decisions of BNP standing committee meeting held on Tuesday night.
The 18-party leaders supported most of the decision sexcept the blockade, meeting sources said.
Earlier, leaders of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtanrik Dal (BSD) also met opposition leader Khaleda Zia from 8:40pm to 9:10pm on Wednesday night.
The BNP policymakers in Tuesday’s meeting decided to enforce a three-day nonstop nationwide road and railway blockade programme from Monday to force the government to concede to their demand.
Most of the BNP standing committee members opined that the dialogue offer is nothing but a stage-managed drama of the government to mislead people, meeting sources said.
The highest policymaking body of BNP, however, opined that the opposition leader should respond positively if the Prime Minister again invites her to dialogue with specific agenda of polls-time non-party government.
They also decided that the 18-party will hold rallies on Saturday across the country, including the capital, demanding the release of the opposition leaders and activists arrested from October 25 to October 29 and protesting the killing of opposition men during the period.
The highest policymaking body of BNP also decided to go for tougher programmes like non-cooperation soon after the Election Commission announces the election schedule.
The 18-party leaders voiced their support for these decisions of the BNP standing committee.
According to an 18-party leader, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will announce the programmes soon after holding a secretary general-level meeting of the alliance.
Source: UNB Connect