B'dhara to shun BNP's 'tough' programmes

Dhaka, Sep 17 (bdnews24.com) — Bikalpadhara Bangladesh says it will be on BNP's side in the anti-government movement but will not support hardline programmes that could make people suffer.

After their second meeting at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office on Saturday, Bikalpadhara secretary-general Abdul Mannan said, "Considering the current situation of the country, we think it's in a poor state since the government has failed on all fronts.

"We have to find a way for a new government through elections at the earliest. So, we will be with the BNP and also support its programmes.

"But Bikalpadhara will not endorse any programme which may cause sufferings to the people," Mannan, a retired army major, who was previously a BNP leader, said.

The two parties earlier sat in an official meeting on Aug 29 at the residence of A Q M Badruddoza Chowdhury, the party chairman and a former BNP president. Following the meeting, it said they had reached a consensus to take part in BNP's movement over the caretaker government system.

Saturday's closed-door meeting started at 7:30pm and lasted for an hour in which BNP acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, and Mannan and Mahi B Chowdhury, the Bikalpadhara joint secretary-general, took part.

Fakhrul said, "We've agreed to move against the government demanding its removal and protesting the general elections under a political government. We'll hold more talks in the future."

In its move to extend the opposition alliance, the BNP has invited Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), headed by former BNP minister Oli Ahmed, and Kader Siddiqui's Krishak Sramik Janata League. LDP has confirmed its participation.

Fakhrul had seen Badruddoza and Oli on July 12 to invite them to the mass hunger strike called by the main opposition. A delegation of the LDP joined the programme while Bikalpadhara abstained.

The BNP and the like-minded parties have been protesting the government move to annul the caretaker provision and also observed shutdowns to retain the system introduced through the 13th amendment in 1996.

At the joint briefing, Mannan also said the government should leave power immediately, and "don't know what may happen in the next two-and-a-half years (of this government's tenure)".

He also slammed the Grand Alliance government for not taking any assistance from the opposition.

Asked about the programmes, Mannan said that they were against tough programmes like hartals and besieging. "But we'll support the BNP programmes, declared following public demand, to unseat the government."

Over joining the BNP rally at Paltan on Sep 27, he said they would decide on the issue after discussing it in the party forum.

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