The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday announced to hold nationwide protests against unusual increase in prices, shortage of gas, electricity and water, false case filed against the party's senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and dipping law and order.
The party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme after a joint meeting with the party's front organisations in its central office at Naya Paltan.
The party will hold a rally at Naya Paltan on the day as part of the central programme.
Fakhrul announced the programme as part of its movement to establish the rights of the people.
He also said that the BNP would also come up with programmes in Ramadan but the pattern of the programmes was yet to be decided.
'We do not go for general strike on lame excuses as the Awami League does. We will decide programme considering the interest of people and the country,' he said.
He said that the government was continuing to harass opposition activists and file false cases against them to suppress the movement.
Fakhrul said that the government was endangering democracy by triggering new issues. 'Law and order has deteriorated to the extreme level and at the same time, crimes have been encouraged at the state level as clemency has been given to convicted killers,' he said.
The government was planning to push back the country to where it was in 1972–1975 by patronising convicted criminals, he added.
Fakhrul criticised the government's failure to contain price spiral before Ramadan. He also blasted the finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, for his asking people not to go shopping a day a week.
'Step down if you fail to meet the people's demand. Please do not mock at people's expectations and requirement,' said Fakhrul.
The party's joint secretaries general Amanullah Aman, Barkatullah Bulu and Rizvi Ahmed, organising secretary Fazlul Huq Milan, and leaders of its associate bodies were present at the meeting.
Source : New Age
