After staying into hiding for nearly three months to avoid arrest, thousands of BNP leaders and workers came out together and brought a black-flag procession in the capital on Saturday demanding the cancellation of the 12th parliament.
As part of the BNP’s programme in all metropolitan cities, the leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies gathered at Nayapaltan wearing black caps and holding black flags in their hands also to protest against the price hikes of essential commodities.
Many of them also carried placards demanding the release of the arrested party leaders, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
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After a brief rally, they took out the black-flag procession around 3:30pm that ended near Arambagh intersection via Nightengal and Fakirapool intersections.
They also chanted slogans disapproving the current government, parliament and the 12th parliamentary election.
This was also the BNP's first street programme after the 12th parliamentary election held on January 7.
As the government launched a crackdown on them arresting party senior leaders after October 28 following violent clashes between the police and the opposition activists, most of the party leaders and workers went into hiding to avoid arrest. They were hardly seen participating in the BNP’s hartal and blockade programme ahead of the national election.
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Speaking at the rally before taking out the procession, BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said that the current government is not elected by the people of Bangladesh as it has been installed by India, China and Russia.
“It’s the government of India, China and Russia, not the government of the people of Bangladesh. That is why we are not bound to obey this regime. We’re now in a struggle not only for restoring our right to vote, but also for restoring our democracy and protecting our independence and sovereignty,” the BNP leader said.
Claiming that the country’s people did not vote for the ruling party on January 7, Gayeshwar said the government is now collecting certificates from foreigners to justify its illegal power. “If people of the country don't give you (govt) the certificate, you have no chance to prove the legitimacy with the certificates of foreigners."
He urged the BNP leaders and workers to be more active to get success in their movement for the restoration of democracy.
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BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said they took to the streets with the procession holding black flags to register their protest against the government formed without the mandate of people. “The black-flag procession is recognised as a language of protest all over the world.”
He warned that the Awami League government will be forced to quit power as it has got isolated from people. “We’re on the streets, we will be there on the streets...we’ll continue this peaceful protest until the BNP and all democratic political parties of Bangladesh can bring democracy back to the country."