Faridpur district bus workers and owners went on a 38-hour strike Friday morning amid BNP’s allegation that it was planned to thwart their rally, causing suffering to commuters.
The strike began from 6am and will end on Saturday 8pm.
On November 7, a letter signed by Golam Nasir, general secretary of the district’s Malik Sramik Oikya Parishad, was sent to Dhaka Divisional Commissioner seeking ban on movement of illegal three-wheelers and battery-driven auto rickshaws on highways by November 10.
Golam Nasir said they were forced to go on strike as they did not get any positive response from the administration regarding their demands.
Movement of buses, including that of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), was halted in Faridpur this morning.
Passengers were seen waiting for public transport at the old bus stand, new bus stand and Imamuddin Square area of Faridpur city.
Transport worker Habibur said, “We are on strike as per our leaders’ directive. We have to follow the order of our leaders to earn our daily bread.”
However, the movement of three-wheelers and rented microbuses remained normal in the district.
Faridpur transport strike
Photo: UNB
BNP Vice Chairman AZM Zahid Hossain alleged that the government is adopting various tactics to obstruct people from joining the rally in Faridpur.
“They will not succeed and Faridpur will turn into a human sea on Saturday too like the previous divisional rallies.”
Meanwhile, BNP activists started gathering in Faridpur from Wednesday, three days ahead of the party’s scheduled rally, due to the strike.
Hundreds of BNP activists and leaders from Shariatpur, led by Khokon Talukder, BNP central executive committee’s assistant public education secretary, arrived at the Abdul Aziz Institute premises under Komorpur upazila on Wednesday at 10 pm.
Khokon Talukder said they were the first to arrive in Faridpur. On Thursday morning, hundreds of activists from Shariatpur and Rajbari districts started coming to the venue, keeping in mind the transport strikes.
He said organisers have arranged food and accommodation for the BNP activists.
Faridpur transport strike
Photo: UNB
Abdul Aziz Institute premises was crowded this morning (Friday) as BNP leaders and activists have already arrived there and they are cooking their lunch.
The rally in Faridpur on Saturday will be the 6th one by the BNP at the divisional level as five others were held in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna, Rangpur and Barishal.
A similar strike was also enforced ahead of BNP’s divisional rallies in Barishal, Rangpur and Khulna, but thousands of party leaders, activists and supporters participated in the rallies overcoming the obstacles.
As part of the move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.
The organisers said the rallies are meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government–a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it to happen.
Source: United News of Bangladesh