BNP's agitation plan in 15 days

The BNP plans to launch countrywide agitation soon after the formation of polls-time government to realise its demand for a free, fair and inclusive national election under a neutral administration and the release of its chairperson.

It will finalise the plan and also devise an election roadmap within the next 15 days, say party insiders.

The BNP will keep putting pressure on the government before taking part in the national election.

Though there was a difference of opinion on whether the party should go for agitation, its central leaders have now agreed to launch agitation across the country immediately after the formation of polls-time government, they point out.

They fear if the party participates in the election without waging “a movement”, the ruling coalition will hold the polls in a “controlled manner”.

“If we go for a movement, the government will be under pressure and the global community will also keep its focus on the situation. This time, it will not be easy to hold an election like the one on January 5 in 2014. We will announce agitation programmes,” a senior BNP leader told this newspaper yesterday, seeking anonymity.

The party's district-level leaders will soon be given necessary instructions on the agitation programmes, added the party leader.

Senior party leaders are holding meetings every day to chalk out plans and ways to boost morale of the party's grassroots before launching the programmes.

“The BNP has made preparations for the upcoming election as well as for agitation programmes. We have no other option but to wage a movement if the government does not pay heed to our demands,” BNP Vice Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan told this correspondent.

Keeping the election in mind, the party is working to finalise the names of its possible candidates. It has already asked its prospective candidates to work in their constituencies and form more than 40,000 election committees across the country.

BNP sources said several party leaders have already held meetings with top leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and asked them to prepare to launch agitation. The Jamaat leaders said they were ready to take to the streets.

Last month, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met party's acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in London on his way to Dhaka from New York. The two leaders discussed in detail the party's action plan and the upcoming election, according to party sources.

Tarique have been in touch with party leaders of different tiers for the last few months. He also took opinions of a number of intellectuals and professionals, most of whom suggested that the party participate in the election but should also launch agitation to realise its demands, a BNP leader close to Tarique told this correspondent.