BNP hesitant to go for hartals, blockades

BNP leaders have recently been making threats of non-stop and tough agitation, but the party appears to be in a dilemma over such programmes as hartal and roadblocks.

Party insiders say they are hesitant to go for hartal and blockade-like programmes as the arson attacks during their movement centring the January 5, 2014, election drew flak from home and abroad.

At the same time, many of the top leaders have come to the realisation that peaceful rallies in Dhaka and other cities may garner public support, but the government will not feel any pressure to resign.

"In this situation, we have no choice but to enforce hartal and blockade-like programmes. But such programmes cannot be sustained for long," said a senior leader, wishing not to be named.

Besides, the economy is going through a crisis, and events like hartal may adversely affect people's livelihood, he said, adding, "This may eventually make us look bad."

The party has been organising rallies and taking out processions across the country in a peaceful and non-violent manner for the last one and a half years.

While the peaceful events are lauded everywhere, these will not get the BNP what it wants, said several other leaders.

"At some point, we will have to go for blockade and hartal," he said, adding that hartal and blockade will be carefully planned and only used as a last resort.

BNP's series of hartal and blockades before and after the January 5, 2014, election almost paralysed people's lives. But that movement didn't see success. 

The party last week said it will announce non-stop tough programmes from a grand rally to be held in the capital on October 28. However, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has yet to mention hartal or blockades in his speeches.

BNP leaders are sure that as soon as they announce something like hartal, the ruling Awami League will hark back to the arson attacks from 2014.

"Hartal-like programmes may be announced only when the movement gains momentum," said a BNP leader.

Some party leaders say the final phase of the movement will start through laying siege to important buildings and sit-in events mainly in Dhaka.

During the series of talks the BNP held with like-minded parties, the latter recommended programmes like hartal.

Mahmudur Rahman Manna, convener of the Nagorik Oikya, told The Daily Star that tough programmes are such that they shake the foundation of the state machinery. "But public suffering is inevitable in that case."

The BNP on July 29 held a sit-in at the entry points to Dhaka. But that event faced substantial obstacles from police and ruling party men.

Contacted, BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said it is difficult to say what programmes the party will announce because the nature of the movement will depend on how the government reacts to the demonstrations.

"Our movement is peaceful and it will remain that way. But we have the right to defend ourselves when we are attacked," he said.