BNP announces fresh 48-hour transport blockade from Sunday

The opposition group vows to continue its campaign to oust the ruling party from power and institute a caretaker government for the election

The BNP has announced that it will enforce another 48-hour nationwide transport blockade from Sunday as part of its ongoing campaign to institute a caretaker government ahead of the upcoming national elections.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the announcement via a virtual meeting on Thursday, the deadline for submission of nomination papers for the polls, before the party’s dawn-to-dusk hartal ended.

“To continue our one-point demand movement, the BNP is announcing a nationwide transport blockade from 6 am on Sunday to 6 am on Tuesday,” he said.

He called on party loyalists and allies to take to the streets and enforce the blockade with vigour.

The BNP has been staging a series of political programmes after a rally in Dhaka on Oct 28 was marred by violence. The opposition called a hartal the following day. Many of the party’s leaders were arrested following clashes with the police and the rest went into hiding.

Rizvi has been announcing the party’s subsequent programmes virtually since then. So far, the party has organised transport blockades on 16 days and hartals on four others.

The intensity of these programmes has slowly diminished over time. Few party leaders and activists can be seen on the streets. Though party leaders have called on activists to demonstrate their bravery, there has been little overt action.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has set Jan 7 for the upcoming general election. The BNP and its allies remain adamant about boycotting the polls unless the Awami League administration is replaced by a neutral election-time government.

However, the Awami League and its allies, the parliamentary opposition the Jatiya Party, and a few other newly registered parties have expressed their interest in contesting the polls.

Vowing to press ahead with the antigovernment campaign, Rizvi said, “[Prime Minister] Sheikh Hasina must resign and establish a caretaker government system during the election.

"National leader Khaleda Zia should be released and sent for advanced medical abroad, and all the detained leaders and activists of the party, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, must be freed.”

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman had congratulated the party and its allies for successfully holding a one-day blockade programme on Wednesday and a hartal on Thursday, he added.