Staff Reporter :With only a day (Sunday) left for January 5, the leaders and workers of both the ruling Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party are passing busy times to display their strength by staging show down that has evoked tension among the common people. As BNP has not got permission yet to hold its rally in city’s Suhrawardy Udyan tomorrow (Monday) to mark what it terms ‘Democracy Killing Day’ on January 5, the party is determined to organise the rally at any cost. As a result, panic has already started running high among the people. The ruling Awami league will observe January 5 as the ‘Victory Day of Democracy’ as the 10th parliamentary election was held on this day a year ago. Apart from the leaders and workers of Awami League and BNP, the leaders and workers of their associate bodies and student wings earlier declared that they would face each other politically on the streets. While Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student-wing of the ruling party decided to resist all the agitation programmes, including BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s rallies in any corner of the country, BNP’s student-wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal vowed to hit back and give BCL leaders and activists a befitting reply, if they tried to prevent their chairperson from attending mass rallies.”I’m worried over the latest development of country’s political arena centering January 5. It is very simple that like me, the peace loving people are feeling insecure. If the government fails to settle the issue we will have to witness another round of political violence,” Dr. Akbar Ali Khan, a former adviser to the caretaker government told The New Nation yesterday. He said as Awami League is now in power, it will have to take the initiative to resolve the existing crisis in the greater interest of the country and its people.”There is no way to get rid of such suffocating situation if the two major political parties don’t hold any dialogue,” he said. Talking to The New Nation, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said police will decide whether BNP will be allowed to hold rally or not.”As Awami league decided to observe January 5 as the ‘Victory Day of Democracy and on the same day BNP is adamant to hold rally in capital, the police will decide what will be the next step. But I would like to make my stand clear that the government will not tolerate any hooliganism,” he added.Former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Emajuddin Ahmed termed the present government as autocratic, saying if BNP is not allowed to hold rally the situation will take a serious turn.”Practicing of democracy in our country is now on the verge of extinction. I’m surprised when I have to listen that the state minister for home is saying the decision regarding holding rally is depend on police. Is the country being ruled by the police?” the political scientist mentioned. Awami League Senior Leader and Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday warned that stern action would be taken against any sort of hooliganism.”In the name of movement or holding rally if BNP tries to create any chaotic situation and unleash a reign of terror the government will not sit idle. All necessary measurers will be taken to thwart any destructive activities,” he told journalists yesterday at DRU in the city.Replying to a query he ruled out the possibility of holding of dialogue before 2019 saying the dialogue can only take place just before 90 days of the end of the tenure of the incumbent government. Earlier on Wednesday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at a press conference placed a seven-point proposal to overcome the current political deadlock.She also said BNP-led 20-party alliance will peacefully observe ‘Democracy Killing Day’ on January 5, and hoped that the government would allow them to do so.But the ruling party rejected Khaleda Zia’s seven point proposals outright and thus triggered conflicting situation.
