Hartal to be extended if leaders not released, warns Rizvi
Opposition BNP on Friday alleged that the government has arrested three party senior leaders as part of its plot to hold a unilateral election.
“This autocratic government has arrested top BNP leaders for holding a lopsided farcical election,” said BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
He came up with the remarks at an emergency press conference at the National Press Club following the arrest of three BNP standing committee members.
In a sudden move in the country’s already overheated political landscape, detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested BNP standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia from the capital.
Protesting the arrest, Rizvi said it is an autocratic and imprudent decision of the government to arrest the senior leaders in such a way. “We condemn such arrest.”
“Release the senior BNP leaders right now, otherwise our scheduled 72-hour hartal programme (from Sunday next) will be extended and intensified,” Rizvi warned.
He alleged that the government being isolated from people arrested the BNP leaders and took a defiant stance against the country’s 90 percent people. “The government wants to give a death-blow before its fall.”
Rizvi further warned that the government it will not be able to subdue the opposition’s ongoing movement by arresting the top leaders.
“They’ve started arresting and torturing BNP leaders and activists throughout the country. But they can’t hang onto power by resorting to repressive acts and putting opposition leaders behind the bars,” he added.
The BNP leader asked the opposition leaders and activists to take to the streets as the fall of the current ‘autocratic’ government is imminent.
Source: UNB Connect
