Describing their march demanding the resignation of the government as a ‘victory march’ for realising people’s rights, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday called upon Awami League to quit as people don’t want to see them in power anymore, reports UNB.
He alleged that the Election Commission staged a farce in the name of by-polls to Dhaka-17 on Monday.
“It’s not just a march as it’s a march of victory. It’s a victory march for realising people’s rights,” the BNP leader said while inaugurating their party’s road march in the capital’s Gabtoli area.
He said they along with 36 other opposition parties have started a new journey for the restoration of democracy through the march programme. “We’ll achieve victory through his journey by realising our one-point demand. We’ll defeat this terrible monstrous regime and form a government and parliament of people.”
Fakhrul said the people of entire Bangladesh have woken up to get back their lost rights and get rid of the misrule of the Awami League government.
He urged the government to step down and dissolve parliament by handing over power to a neutral government.
"Not only BNP but also 36 other political parties simultaneously announced on July 12 that the current regime must resign immediately. The people of this country no longer want to see Awami League in power," the BNP Secretary General said.
He called upon all the democratic political parties, organisations and professional bodies to take to the streets to protect the country and its people by ousting the Awami League regime.
About the by-polls to Dhaka-17, he said the ruling party could not take voters to the polling stations by installing a heavy-weight candidate and its main think-tank Mohammad Ali Arafat against Hero Alam.
“The polling stations were empty. The crippled, worthless and subservient Election Commission showed 11% voter turnout. We saw that there were no voters anywhere…after the announcement of the results, Arafat showed the victory sign. It’s a matter of shame. Hero Alam, a non-political personality, was beaten and driven out of the polling station,” Fakhrul said.
He criticised the silent role of police while a candidate was attacked by the ruling party activists in front of a polling station.
“The Election Commission says the election with 11 percent voter turnout was the best one. There is no point in making such mockery to deceive people,” the BNP leader said.
He said while the people in the capital have been facing a difficult time due to a serious outbreak of dengue, the Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor went to Europe for a vacation. “The Health Minister went to America. What a sense of responsibility they have!"
As part of their one-point movement, thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies joined the march towards the Roy Saheb Bazar in the old part of Dhaka from Gabtali Bus Station.
Fakhrul formally inaugurated the programme around 11:20am and it will end at the Roy Saheb Bazar intersection at 4pm.
When the march reached Mirpur's Govt Bangla College around 11:45 am, some youths attacked them, resulting in a clash, witnesses said.
Later, brickbats were thrown targeting each other. A motorcycle and a bicycle were also burned during the clash. Later, police brought the situation under control.
A similar programme is being held in all other metropolitan cities and district towns.
This is the first programme of the opposition’s one-point movement with the goal to remove Awami League from power to hold the upcoming national elections under a neutral government.
Alongside the BNP, Ganatantra Mancha, 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote, the Liberal Democratic Party, Gonoforum and People’s Party, Labour Party, Gono Odhikar Parishad Gonotantrik Bam Oikya, Samomona Gonotantrik Peshajibi Jote and Sadaran Chhatra Odhikar Sanrakshan Parishad are also staging marches in the city’s different areas.
Earlier on July 12, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir formally announced a ‘one-point’ movement with the goal to remove Awami League from power to hold the upcoming national elections under a neutral government.
As part of the first programme to realise the one-point demand, he also announced a two-day countrywide march programme for July 18 and 19.
BNP will also march on July 19 (Wednesday) from Uttara’s Abdullahpur to Jatrabari from 10am to 4pm. The other opposition parties and alliances will also observe the programme in the capital on the same day.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
