BNP on Tuesday staged demonstrations across the country in the face of obstruction from the police and imposition of section 144 in many places, in protest against unbridled price hike hurting the common people.
The main opposition said it protested against soaring fuel and gas prices and transport fare hike.
BNP held protest rallies and demonstrations in all divisional cities as well as district and upazila towns in protest against soaring prices causing untold public sufferings, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed told New Age.
Speaking at a protest rally in the capital, the acting secretary general of the party Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said BNP would announce on July 3 a tougher action programme against the Awami League led government's anti people policies.
He said that neither the people of the country nor BNP would accept holding
of general elections under am incumbent government.
He called for a united national movement against the misrule of Awami League led government.
He said that Bangladesh's interests would suffer more setbacks if Awami League continued in power as it had been planning.
Dhaka city chapter of BNP organised the rally in front of the party's central office at Naya Paltan.
BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Jamiruddin Sircar and Abdul Moyeen Khan, vice chairmen Abdullah Al Noman and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and chairperson's adviser Fazlur Rahman Patal spoke at the rally, chaired by mayor of Dhaka city and BNP city committee convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
Mirza Fakhrul said tougher agitation programme would be announced after the party's senior leaders complete their district tours by July 2.
He said that the Awami League led government was deceiving the people in the name of Constitution amendment.
He said that the government's bid to add 'dangerous and autocratic' provisions to the Constitution of the Republic posed 'a great threat to democracy and national sovereignty.'
He cautioned the government against its move to amend the Constitution 'in a hurry.'
He said no nation ever benefitted from 'hasty' amendment to the Constitution.
He said Awami League should ask itself how the country benefitted from its hasty fourth amendment to the Constitution.
He asked Awami League to recall the consequences of the fourth amendment done in seven minutes.
'Can't you recall it?,' he asked.
Mirza Fakhrul asked for calm from the huge crowd attending the protest rally when it repeated asked for calling hartals against the government's anti people policies.
He assured them that 'non-stop hartal' would be called in due time.
Hartals are coming, he said.
The proceeding of the BNP meeting remained suspended as a procession taken out by the National Committee for Safeguarding Oil, Gas, Ports and Mineral Resources passed by.
The crowd at the BNP rally clapped the Oil, Gas Committee protesters.
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the Awami League led government initiated a move to change 51 Articles of the Constitution.
He said that the ruling party's plan to change the Constitution was set to replace 'Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah' with secularism.
He said Bangladesh needed mid term polls under a caretaker administration to prevent the restoration f Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League type rule in the country.
New Age district correspondents, including from Bogra, Sylhet, Munshiganj, Chittagong, Feni, Khulna and Barisal, reported that protest rallies and demonstrations were organised by the local chapters of BNP in divisional cities and district and upazila towns across the country.
New Age Pabna correspondent reported that the administration banned public gatherings at Faridpur upazila town in Pabna from Tuesday morning after two groups of local chapter of BNP took separate programmes for rallies at the same venue and time.
Jamaat also held separate demonstrations on the day on the issues.
Jamaat held its central programme at Purana Paltan in front of its city office with its acting secretary general ATM Azharul Islam as the chief guest.
Source : New Age
