Bus owners of Sylhet and Moulvibazar have called strikes from November 18 to 20, surrounding the BNP's divisional rally.

"Our strike will begin at 6am on November 19 and end at 6am on November 20 for the ban on movement of illegal three-wheelers and battery-driven auto-rickshaws on highways," Sylhet District Bus Owners Association General Secretary Ziaul Kabir Palash told UNB on Wednesday.

However, he said the strike has nothing to do with the BNP rally: "It has been called as part of a pre-announced programme."

Also, the Moulvibazar Bus-Minibus Owners' Association called a strike on November 18 and 19, demanding the cancellation of CNG-run auto rickshaws' registration, a ban on the movement of illegal battery-driven auto-rickshaws; and calling for an end to the registration of CNG-run auto-rickshaws, extortion and police harassment in trucks, lorries, pickup vans, covered vans and construction of a permanent truck stand.

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Moulvibazar Bus-Minibus Owners' Association Chairman Rashid Uddin Ahmed said the strike will begin at 6am on November 18 and end at 6am on November 19.

Meanwhile, Sylhet District Road Transport Workers Union President Mainul Haque said they do not support the strike. "We don't want to thwart any party's programme. Workers are with everyone."

BNP leaders of districts said the strikes were called to thwart their divisional rally as such transport strikes were announced ahead of the party's rallies in Barishal, Khulna, Rangpur, Faridpur and Mymensingh.

Sylhet district BNP President Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury said the government forced the transport owners to call the strike to disrupt the BNP rally. "But no conspiracy can stop the mass gathering."

BNP will hold its seventh divisional rally at Sylhet Govt Alia Madrasa on November 19.

To ward off the transport strike ahead of the rally like the previous ones, the leaders and activists of Sadar upazila of the party had already been asked to come to the city a few days earlier. The same instruction was given to the upazila-level leaders and activists of the party.

The BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional and big cities. The party will end its divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.

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