The Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) is all set to observe a half-day hartal across the country on Thursday protesting the hike in the prices of fuel, urea fertilizer and daily essentials. The LDA, a coalition of eight left-leaning political parties, will enforce the hartal from 6am to 12noon also to push for its demand for reducing the prices of fuel, urea fertiliser, essential food and other commodities and transport fare. At a press conference on Wednesday at Mukti Bhaban in the capital, LDA Coordinator and CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince called upon the country’s people to observe the hartal with their spontaneous presence on the streets also to mount pressure on the government to stop the process of increasing the prices of electricity and gas. Read:BNP supports left alliance’s hartal on Aug 25 Stating that people are going through immense suffering due to the rise in the prices of fuel and commodities, he warned that LDA will announce greater programmes in the future if the government does not realise their demands after the general strike. Prince said hospitals, hotels, medicine shops and vehicles engaged in providing emergency services will remain out of the purview of the hartal. Earlier on Aug 16, LDA called the nationwide half-day hartal for August 25. In an abrupt move, the government increased the prices of diesel, octane and petrol by 42.5 per cent, 51.7 per cent and 51 per cent respectively on August 5. Currently, diesel is being sold at Tk 114 per litre, octane at Tk 135 per litre and petrol at Tk 130 per litre, pushing up the prices of all essential items. On August 17, BNP extended its support to the LDA’s hartal. Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.

A half-day nationwide hartal enforced by Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) to protest the soaring prices of edible oil, other essential commodities and utility services is underway peacefully on Monday. Activists of LDA took position at the key points in the capital in the morning, disrupting vehicular movement in some areas. However, there was no report of any untoward incident. Read: LDA to enforce half-day hartal Monday protesting price hike Hartal supporters brought out processions in the city’s Paltan intersection and held sit-in programmes, halting the vehicular movement from Kakrail to GPO intersection and Press Club to Dainik Bangla intersection.

The Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) will enforce a nationwide half-day hartal Monday to protest the soaring prices of edible oil, other essential commodities and utility services. The shutdown will begin at 6am and continue until 12pm, said LDA leaders at a press conference in the city's Purana Paltan. Saiful Haque, coordinator of the LDA, urged people of all walks of life to make the strike successful with their spontaneous support. He also called upon the government to refrain from any kind of provocation. The alliance already distributed several lakh leaflets and put up posters on the walls in support of the hartal. It also carried out massive mass campaigns and held rallies across the country, drumming up support for the strike. "People showed overwhelming response to our call for a strike during the campaigns. A kind of spontaneity has been noticed among people irrespective of their party affiliation," Saiful said. Read:Protest against price hike: Left alliance calls hartal on Mar 28 He alleged that the ruling party activists and police obstructed their campaigns and attacked their supporters without any provocation at different parts of the country. "I would like to make it clear to all concerned, including the law enforcement agencies, that we want to observe this hartal peacefully in support of the people. We hope no one provokes us during our strike action," the LDA leader said. The government and the ruling party will be held responsible if any untoward incident happens due to any kind of provocative act during the hartal hours. Saiful said the senior leaders of LDA will take positions in important places of the capital, including Purana Paltan area, and join picketing at 6am. "The hartal will be successful with the support of the people. People of all walks of life – the commoners, shop owners, employees, transport owners, transport workers – should come forward to make this programme a success," he added. On March 11 last, the LDA called a nationwide half-day hartal protesting the increasing prices of utility services and daily commodities such as edible oil, rice, lentil and onion.

Political leaders at a discussion on Monday demanded the government announce coronavirus pandemic as a national disaster and take steps for tackling it with coordinated efforts.