Shawdesh Desk:

Opposition BNP is going to launch a simultaneous movement along with around 35 likeminded parties to realise their common demands, including holding of the next general election under a non-party government.

“We’ll declare our movement outline very soon. We along with other political parties who want democracy in the country will wage movement to press home our demands,” BNP senior leader Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury told the Daily Sun.

The party will start talking with other parties within one or two days to finalise the movement outline and the common demands, said Nazrul Islam Khan, another standing committee member of the party.

“The demands include resignation of the incumbent government, dissolution of current parliament, reconstitution of the present Election Commission, election under a non-party government and release of party leaders and activists, including permanent release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia,” he said.

BNP insiders said the party’s standing committee in its meeting held on Monday virtually with its acting chairman Tarique Rahman in the chair has taken a decision to go for a simultaneous movement this year-end  with other political parties with some issues and to turn it into one-point movement gradually.

As per the decision of the meeting of BNP’s highest policymaking body, the party will hold public rallies in all divisional cities in October to protest against the abnormal increases in the prices of essential commodities and attacks on their party activists during their recent programmes in different parts of the country.

BNP will hold a press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office in the capital at 11:30am today to brief reporters on the decision of the party’s standing committee.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will address the press conference.

The party also has taken a decision to hold a public rally in Dhaka city to announce their all-out movement in October where they will also announce their party’s future course of action.

A senior leader of the BNP wishing not to be named said the party is likely to go for simultaneous movement in November.

“The simultaneous movement may start after November 7. The movement actually will turn into a one-point movement for resignation of the incumbent government. Before that demonstration programmes will be held in divisional cities across the country,” Saifuddin Ahmed Moni, general secretary of Democratic League which will join the simultaneous movement, told the Daily Sun.

As part of the party’s move to intensify its ongoing ant-government movement, BNP organised public rallies at 16 spots in Dhaka city from September 11 that ended on September 27, in protest against the increases in transport fares and prices of essentials and fuel oils.

The party earlier held a month-long demonstration programme across the country from August 22 to rejuvenate the party men and to make them active in street protest before going for an all-out movement.

BNP insiders said the party will go for a simultaneous movement along with around 40 political parties and oragnisations of the country to realise their demands.

The political parties who will go for a simultaneous movement under the leadership of the BNP include components of the 20-party alliance, components of Ganatantra Mancha, a coalition of seven political parties, some Islamic political parties and a faction of Gano Forum.

Talking to reporters at his residence in Thakurgaon on September 14, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir informed that 35 political parties under the leadership of the party will go for a simultaneous movement to realise their common demands. Earlier, Mirza Fakhrul told a press conference on September 13 that their party took a decision to finalise the outline of the simultaneous movement. A national government will be formed after that election with the parties that are going to join the simultaneous movement, he added. BNP sources said the party has already started their programmes targeting to rejuvenate the party leaders and activists, ensuring their presence in the street and ensuring public participation in their movement programmes while activists of any other parties are also joining the programmes.

Talking to the Daily Sun, a BNP central leader wishing not to be named said the party’s movement outline will be determined depending on the situation, but their ultimate target is to unseat the Awami League-led government and to realise their demand for election under a non-party government.

A few other central leaders said it is high time that BNP launched programmes on public issues as people are unhappy with the government due to the unusual increases in the prices of essential commodities and fuel and fertilisers.