The BNP-led 20-party alliance on Saturday day called a 36-hour nationwide hartal from 6am on Sunday to 6pm on Monday protesting the arrest of its leaders and activists the government’s ‘sabotage plot’. In a statement, BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the shutdown programme. He said the hartal is also meant for protesting the government’s move for increasing power tariff. Rizvi, on behalf of the 20-party, urged all, including the leaders and activists of the alliance, to make the hartal a success by their spontaneous support to it. The hartal was called amid the 20-party’s ongoing blockade programme that entered the 19th day today (Saturday). Having failed to come out of her Gulshan office to join a planned rally of the 20-party alliance in the city to mark “Democracy Killing Day” on January 5, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia enforced the blockade for an indefinite period. — Dhaka, Jan 24 (UNB)
