BNP and other like-minded opposition parties on Wednesday announced a countrywide rally and procession programme for January 16 to press home their 10-point demand and protest the government’s power price hike plan.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programmes from their party’s sit-in programme at Nayapaltan in the capital on Wednesday.
He said the programme will be observed in all metropolitan cities, districts towns, upazilas and municipality headquarters.
The BNP leader alleged that the government is unfairly increasing the price of gas and electricity.
“People can’t cope with the increased prices (of the utility services). Rallies and processions will be arranged in all cities, districts, upazilas and municipal headquarters across the country on January 16 demanding our 10-point and reduction in electricity prices,” the BNP leader said.
Apart from BNP, Ganatantra Mancha observed a similar programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club while the 12-Party Alliance near Bijoy Nagar Water Tank, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote at Purana Paltan, LDP at FDC Crossing and Ganatantrik Bam Oikya in the east side of the Jatiya Press Club and Gonoforum (Montu) at Arambagh and separately announced the rally and procession programme across the country for January 16.
As part of the simultaneous movement, BNP and other like-minded opposition parties, alliances and organisations observed the sit-in programme in different areas of the capital and nine other divisions in the country to realise their 10-point demand, including holding the next polls under a non-party neutral government.
Fakhrul vows to intensify anti-govt movement
BNP, like-minded parties announce countrywide rally, procession on Jan 16
BNP began the programme at Nayapaltan around 10:30am with the recitation of verses from the holy Quran and it ended around 2:10pm with the speech of Mirza Fakhrul.
Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies joined the sit-in programme, disrupting traffic movement in the area.
It is the second programme of the simultaneous movement after the mass procession by the 33 opposition parties on December 30.
BNP leaders said the programme was worked out for January 11 keeping in mind the political changeover that took place on that day in 2007 – an episode popularly known as “1/11” in the country.
Earlier on December 30, BNP and 32 other like-minded opposition parties staged a mass procession programme in different parts of the capital and Rangpur city as the first programme of the simultaneous movement.
Source: United News of Bangladesh