The BNP-led 20-party alliance will start its fresh agitation programme from August 16 with a black-flag procession, condemning Israeli holocaust in Palestine, and the government’s repressive measures against the opposition parties’ leaders and workers.
The black flag processions is one of the 13-day soft action programmes announced by BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a press conference in the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Tuesday. The other leaders of the alliance partners were present.
Earlier on Monday night, the top leaders of the alliance drafted the fresh agitation programme. BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia chaired the meeting held at her Gulshan office in the city. On Sunday night, the standing committee members of the BNP met Khaleda Zia to discuss the strategy of the agitation.
According to the decision, the alliance will take out processions on August 16 in all the divisional cities and district towns. In the capital Dhaka, the procession will start from in front of the BNP’s central office, said Mirza Fakhrul.
There will be a rally in city’s Suhrawardy Udyan on August 19 to denounce the newly enacted ‘anti-people’ broadcast policy. Khaleda Zia and other top leaders of the alliance will address the rally. As per programme, the district committees will organize rallies in the district towns the same day.
The 20-party alliance will also organize a mass contact programme across the country between August 21 and 31 to garner public support in favour of their key demand- fresh election under a non-party government system.
The alliance sources said that Khaleda Zia would also visit different districts from the second week of September for the said purpose.
The alliance leaders have also decided to sever ties with Shawkat Hossain Nilu and his National Peoples Party (NPP) for anti-alliance stand. It approved Fariduzzamn Farhad and his faction of the NPP as a partner of the 20-party alliance.
Earlier, NPP Secretary Farhad and Chairman Nilu expelled each other, claiming his faction legitimate. Later Farhad joined the alliance’s meeting but Nilu abstained.
Meanwhile, BNP chalked out a three-day programme to celebrate the party’s 36th founding anniversary. The programme includes discussion, hoisting the party flag, placing wreaths at the grave of party founder and colourful procession.
The party Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed announced the programme in a press briefing at the Nayapaltan central office after a joint meeting of the party and its associate bodies.
On September 1 in 1978, late President Ziaur Rahman formed the BNP with a 19-point programme.
