After observing a similar programme in Dhaka, BNP on Thursday announced to stage marches in 10 other metropolitan cities on May 23 and 28 to press home its 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
He said the programme was also meant for registering the party’s protest against the filing of ‘ghost’ cases against opposition leaders and activists, soaring prices of essentials, frequent power cuts and the all-pervasive corruption by the Awami League government.
“We staged marches in Dhaka city’s north and south areas on Wednesday. Our programme was successful. A similar programme will be observed by BNP in all metropolitan cities, except Dhaka south and north cities, on May 23 and 28,” Rizvi said.
The 10 cities where the programme will be observed include Narayanganj, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Cumilla, Sylhet and Chattogram.
Earlier on Wednesday, BNP’s Dhaka South and North City units staged spate marches towards Malibagh from Basabo and Shahjadpur areas in the capital respectively to realise the same demands.
Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies joined the marches, carrying banners, festoons and portraits of the party's top leaders.
Before the Eid-ul-Fitr, BNP observed the march programme across the country including the capital in several phases to press home their 10-point demand.
Rizvi said the ruling party leaders are making reckless comments as they know they will not get a chance this time to go to power by rigging votes like in 2014 and 2018.
“No trickery will work this time. The days of the current government are numbered. So, they’re indulging in the arrest of opposition leaders and activists in ghost cases,” he alleged.
Rizvi slammed the government for the arrest of the leaders of BNP and its associate bodies in different parts of the country, including in Dhaka, Bogura and Cumilla and demanded their immediate release.
The BNP leader said the government has been hatching various plots to hold a unilateral election to cling to power.
“The government becomes nervous when it hears about fair elections. A free and fair election is the biggest enemy of this government,” he observed.