The main opposition Awami League and its allies from separate rallies declared the one-week programmes, of which some will be observed simultaneously.

Though the left-leaning 11-party alliance will observe October 10 as a black day, it did not call a general shutdown for the day. Its announcement came from a meeting of its leaders in the city.

Leader of the Opposition and AL President Sheikh Hasina proclaimed her party's agitation programme from a grand rally held in the city's Paltan Maidan.

The opposition combine has also extended support to a 24-hour countrywide shutdown on October 6 called by Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (Skop) and a grand rally of Industrial Workers' Co-ordination Council on October 8.

Under the weeklong anti-government action plan, AL, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Workers Party and Jatiya Janata Party will organise road marches at all the upazila headquarters on October 11.

They will demonstrate on October 12 observing it as the 'anti-repression day' protesting the mass arrests and harassment of innocent people by law enforcers, law and order downslide, and price spiral of essentials.

Workers Party disclosed its course of action at a rally held in Shahid Hadis Park in Khulna.

JSD RALLY

The JSD leaders from a large rally in the city's Muktangon called upon the BNP-Jamaat-led coalition government to step down for what they said was its failure to govern and deliver.

They rejected the report probe of the one-man judicial inquiry commission into the August 21 grisly attacks and said the commission held some foreign forces responsible for the attacks just to save the real culprits.

JSD President Hasanul Haque Inu said religious extremists in the country have become more and more violent as the government has been harbouring them to reap political benefits.

"The grenade attack was made when people started uniting against the coalition misrule," Inu observed.

Criticising the government's reform programme, he said thousands of workers are losing jobs due to this faulty reform policy.

Inu also blasted the government for its failure to arrest the perpetrators of the August 21 attacks even after 42 days of the incident.

"This government has made Bangladesh a transit route of illegal arms trafficking," he added.

JSD General Secretary Syed Zafar Sajjad and leaders Mohiuddin Khan Badal, Shirin Akhter, Nazmul Haque Pradhan, Habibur Rahman Shawkat and Iqbal Hossain Khan also addressed the rally.

LEFT ALLIANCE

The 11-party alliance from a meeting yesterday announced an agitation programme to press home its nine-point set of demands including resignation of the coalition government and to curb the upsurge of fundamental and fanatic forces all over the country.

The left alliance also called on the masses to launch a tougher movement to end the current political volatility and crisis.

The alliance members will demonstrate in the district headquarters including the capital demanding a minimum salary for workers and reopening of some laid off industries.

Rashed Khan Menon, Muzahidul Islam Selim, Pankaj Vattachariya, Dilip Borua, Bazlur Rashid and Ajay Roy participated in the meeting held at the Communist Party of Bangladesh office.