BNP announces 48-hour nationwide hartal from Sunday to protest ‘unilateral’ election schedule

The announcement is made amid the party’s fifth blockade

The BNP has announced plans to enforce a 48-hour nationwide hartal, starting at 6 am Sunday, to protest the schedule for the general election, claiming it was “one-sided”.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the decision in a virtual briefing amid the party’s fifth blockade on Thursday.

Amid street protests by the BNP and its allies, who denounced the Election Commission after it set Jan 7 for the general election on Wednesday, Rizvi said the nationwide hartal would be observed until 6 am Tuesday.

The BNP has been observing a hartal and blockades since violence broke out surrounding its Dhaka rally on Oct 28. Following clashes between party activists and police, it called a hartal the following day and observed blockades in five phases over 11 days.

The BNP has continued to demand the resignation of the government and the appointment of a non-partisan caretaker government ahead of the election.

After carrying out separate demonstrations in the capital on Thursday to protest the election schedule, the Ganatantra Mancha, 12-party Alliance, and the Bangladesh Gono Odhikar Parishad called a hartal for Nov 19 and Nov 20.