The BNP, like-minded alliances and parties have given another 48-hour blockade to protest the resignation of the government, elections under a non-partisan neutral caretaker government and the release of jailed leaders and activists.
The sixth phase of the blockade has started from 6 am on Wednesday and will continue until 6 am on Friday. At this time, the leaders and activists of the opposition party will carry out a total blockade program on roads, railways and waterways across the country including the capital Dhaka. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said calling for the success of the 48-hour blockade, the people of the country, party leaders and workers, like-minded alliances and all party leaders will make the blockade program worthwhile and successful. This blockade program is part of a larger movement to restore democracy and ownership of our country to the people of the country. We are in the path of truth, we are in the path of justice, we are in the path of human welfare, we are in favor of democratic philosophy. He said that during the blockade, communication between the capital and the whole country, one district with another district, one upazila with another upazila will be cut off. However, during this period, newspaper cars, ambulances, oxygen cylinder cars and emergency medicine transport will be exempted from the blockade.
Earlier, like-minded parties including BNP and Jamaat held a morning-evening hartal across the country on October 29 in protest of the Mahasambesh Pand in Dhaka on October 28. After that many top leaders including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were arrested. Later, the road, rail and waterway blockade program was held in five stages from October 31 to November 16. Last Tuesday morning till 6 o’clock in the morning held a 48-hour hartal program.
In a virtual press conference on Monday, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the new program and said that the looter ruling group wants to wipe out political opponents by ignoring fair elections. He said that the Awami ruling group is once again arranging a one-sided election. The Election Commission is giving its own proof that it will follow the guidelines of the government. They have said that they will not make any changes in the administration arranged by the government. So this will be an uncontested one-party Bakshali election.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Ma’chum said in a statement announcing the 48-hour blockade program that the current tyrannical government without votes is once again planning to stage an election drama to come to power by stealing votes.
In a separate statement, JSD General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, coordinator of the Democracy Forum, appealed to the people to peacefully complete the all-out blockade across the country. NPP chairman and coordinator of the nationalist like-minded alliance. Fariduzzaman Farhad in a statement urged the people to make the blockade successful. Besides, the 12-party coalition, LDP, Nurul Haque Noor-led People’s Rights Council, Dr. Reza Kibria-led People’s Rights Council, People’s Forum (MONTU) and several other political parties including Bangladesh People’s Party, Bangladesh Labor Party.#
