Welcoming the new political platform bringing together 7 political parties, BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Tuesday said the emergence of an opposition alliance is a success for their party’s move to wage a united movement against the current government.
“We welcome the launch of Ganatantra Mancha. We have long been making the demands those they (new alliance) have mentioned,” he said.
Talking to reporters before a doa mahfil-cum discussion, the BNP leader said their party have been saying this regime has to resign and no election can be held under it, the parliament must be dissolved, the next polls must be arranged under a non-party neutral government and the Election Commission must be reconstituted.
“We have seen they (new alliance) are also making the same demands. So, we think this is a success of our efforts to initiate a united movement. We think this is a step forward for the future united movement,” he observed.
BNP arranged the programme at its Nayapaltan central office marking the Holy Ashura.
Read: Hasan Mahmud dismisses Ganatantra Mancha as out-of-touch, insignificant
Earlier on Monday, "Ganatantra Mancha”, (Democracy Forum) a new platform of seven opposition parties, was launched with the objective to oust the current government through a united movement.
The components of the alliance are Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob), Nagorik Oikya, Bangladesher Biplobi Workers Party, Gonosamhati Andolon, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Bhasani Onusari Parishad and Rastra Sangskar Andolon.
Asked about the progress in their move to float a greater platform with the opposition parties for a simultaneous movement, Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member said, they are still working on it very carefully so that no one can foil their efforts.
As his attention was drawn to BNP standing committee members’ comments that this government cannot be ousted without harsher programmes like hartal and blockade, he said their party had been on a movement with harsher progrmames in 2014 and 2015.
“There are many ministers who also say, we cannot wage a movement…movement means people's protest and resistance in an organised way. It can be through hartal or through various other ways. It's not like we can’t enforce a hartal or a blockade. But why should we do it randomly at an inappropriate time?” Nazrul said.
Stating that political parties are getting organised against the government’s incompetence and failure to run the state, he said people will participate in their parogrammes tremendously in the days to come out of their growing anger.
The BNP leader alleged that the ruling party leaders are making unguarded remarks about BNP and its movement out of fear to face a fall. “There is reason to be confused with their remarks. They are in great danger."