BNP, one of the opposition parties in the national parliament, has taken a tricky position over its ‘December 10 ultimatum’ through a rally programme scheduled to be held on December 10 in the capital Dhaka.
Earlier the senior leaders of the BNP had said that the political situation of the country would be changed after the rally on December 10 and the country would run at the directives of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman.
It should be mentioned that Khaleda Zia is a convict and her son Tarique Rahman, who is also a convict and absconding in UK. Tarique Rahman is now the acting chairman of the BNP.
Those BNP leaders also had threatened that the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would no more remain effective after the rally on December 10.
But, now those BNP leaders seem to have stepped back from their earlier position and saying that the rally scheduled to be held on December 10 in Dhaka is the day of the beginning of their (BNP) movement against the government.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on November 17 at a function said that the rally on December 10 in Dhaka is not their final programme. It is just one of their divisional rallies like other divisional rallies being held across the country.
The BNP Secretary General said this in a press conference at the political office of the party chairperson in Gulshan on Thursday (November 17).
According to sources concerned, tension ensued over the Dhaka rally following the speeches of several mid-level BNP leaders. On October 8, BNP Dhaka city north convener Amanullah Aman at a discussion programme in capital’s Segunbagicha said that the country will be run as per instruction of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman after 10 December.
A day later, BNP's publicity secretary Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury at an event in Lakshmipur said Tarique Rhaman will return to country soon. The next day, BNP chairperson's adviser Zainul Abedin Faruk said that the December 10 rally will be as massive as like the ‘Atlantic ocean’. Khaleda Zia will attend this rally. Then, ruling party minister and leaders started talking by citing BNP leaders’ speeches from various media outlets.
The sources also said that the BNP is now trying to play tricks over its rally on December 10 when the government decided to go hard against any bid to creating anarchy centring the December 10 programme.
The BNP is now trying to pretend that they have to ill-motives centring its December 10 programme.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “We have a plan to organise a rally in Dhaka like we did in other divisions. People from Dhaka and its neighbouring districts and cities will join the rally. I think, the government has become frightened and is trying to go in another way and that will not be better for them. If they don’t allow us to hold a peaceful programme, all responsibility will be on the government.”
Fakrul also said that they have no bad intention centring the December 10 rally programme.
But, sources said that the ruling Awami League is not convinced with the present statements of the leaders of the BNP. The leaders of the ruling party said that although now some BNP leaders are saying that they do not have any ill-motive centring the December 10 rally, but their statement is not believable.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has questioned the BNP's "going into a defensive mood" over its December 10 rally in Dhaka division.
"They [BNP leaders] were talking as if they had seized power, got Hawa Bhavan back. They said they would overthrow the government and bring out a victory march," Quader said, addressing the Bangabandhu Sainik League convention at the capital's KBI Auditorium on Friday.
"There was a defensive attitude on their faces [when they sought permission from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for the party's December 10 rally] but an aggressive showdown is in their hearts,” he said.
"To intimidate Sheikh Hasina will yield no result," said Quader.
He said, "The BNP is contemplating a new strategy with a different tone. But we do not know what the strategy is."
Quader said BNP leaders had threatened several times in the past to oust the government through movements but all went in vain.
The Awami League leader claimed that the BNP was the master of vindictive politics and its founder Ziaur Rahman had started such politics in Bangladesh. "The Awami League does not believe in the politics of revenge," he said.
“Actually, the BNP does not see any development work done by the government because they see the darkness of night during the daytime,” he said.
Quader said Bangladesh will never go towards the uncertainty the BNP is moving towards.
