The ruling Awami League has already threatened to counter a countrywide demonstration planned for Saturday by BNP, the main opposition on the streets, with both parties expecting their rank and file supporters to turn out in huge numbers.
The political landscape of Bangladesh is heating up ahead of December’s parliamentary election with the two main camps taking the rare step of calling demonstrations for the same day this weekend.
The ruling Awami League has already threatened to counter a countrywide demonstration planned for Saturday by BNP, the main opposition on the streets, with both parties expecting their rank and file supporters to turn out in huge numbers.
With the exception of January 5 – which the ruling party celebrates as “Victory Day for Democracy” and BNP as “Democracy Killing Day” to mark the anniversary of the 2014 election – the two factions seldom declare major programmes on the same day.
Because BNP boycotted those polls and has remained out of parliament since, head-to-head party programmes have been rare, adding substantial political significance to the September 29 rallies.
On Monday, the AL-led alliance of 14 parties announced plans to hold a workers’ rally at Mahanagar Natya Mancha in Dhaka at 3pm on Saturday.
A day later, BNP moved its public meeting planned for Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka from Thursday to Saturday, citing the insistence of the prime minister that such events be held on a weekend. The venues are barely 2km apart – meaning workers and party cadres of both camps are likely to use the same routes and roads.
Soon after BNP’s announcement of the new date, ruling coalition spokesman Mohammed Nasim, who is also the health minister, sternly said his cadres would occupy the streets to counter the BNP demonstration.
“Dhaka has always been under our protection, and so will it always be,” he said.
BNP policy maker Nazrul Islam Khan told the Dhaka Tribune the rally had been rescheduled to the same date as the AL programme “precisely because of the prime minister’s directives”.
“There was no question of conflict just because the two events coincided,” he said. “BNP is all for conducting a peaceful campaign but the Awami League does not seem to be happy with that.”
Nazrul’s hint that AL leaders may be intent on inciting violence followed a warning issued to AL party activists by former junior minister, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, that BNP might be the faction planning to foment unrest.
He told his cadres to “break the hands and legs” of such elements.
Political observer Badiul Alam Majumdar said the situation might have been better without the AL pronouncements.
“Awami League’s decision was terrible in the current context,” he said. “When the ruling party declares to occupy the roads, there is a high chance of chaos and unrest.”
The last month has seen the main opposition camp, led by BNP, strengthen its campaign in an obvious bid to shore up popular support before the elections.
Senior BNP leader, Selima Rahman, said the party had not even been allowed to hold political outdoor events for the past five years. “But we cannot just sit idle with the elections looming,” she said.
Source: Dhaka Tribune.
