Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its like-minded parties and organisations have begun a 4-hour mass sit-in programme in all divisional cities across the country today (Jan 11).
According to the sources, a total of 36 opposition parties and 15 organisations are holding the sit-in. BNP earlier took all-out preparations for huge gatherings.
The opposition party formed 10 teams to organise the sit-in in 10 organisational divisions of the party, including Dhaka, to realise their 10-point demands.
Other demands include release of the opposition leaders and activists from jail and holding of the next parliamentary election under a caretaker government.
The party’s vice-chairmen, the chairperson’s advisers, and joint secretaries general led the 10 teams to make the sit-in programme a success.
As per the schedule, BNP leaders and activists will hold a mass sit-in in front of the party’s central office in Dhaka city from 10am to 2pm. DMP has given permission for the sit-in.
BNP leaders, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Mirza Abbas, will join the programme as chief guest.
Ganatantra Manch, a coalition of seven political parties, will hold the sit-in programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club at 11am.
Top leaders of the alliance, including ASM Abdur Rab, Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Saiful Huq, will participate in the programme.
The 12-party alliance will hold the sit-in programme in Bijoynagar water tank area while Jatiyatabadi Shamamana Jote, an alliance of 11 parties, will stage the sit-in at Purana Paltan in the morning.
Another alliance, Left Democratic Unity, will stage the sit-in on the east side of the Jatiya Press Club, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in front of its office near FDC and Gana Forum faction in front of its Arambag office.
Jamaat-e-Islam will not hold the sit-in programme, but their leaders and activists may join the programme of other opposition parties and may hold processions in the capital and other cities, sources said.
BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy will lead the sit-in programme in Sylhet, Abdul Moyeen Khan in Rajshahi, Nazrul Islam Khan in Mymensingh, Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury in Chattorgram, Selima Rahman in Barishal, Iqbal Hassan Mahmud Tuku in Rangpur, vice-chairmen Barkatullah Bulu in Cumilla, Shamsuzzaman Dudu in Khulna and Ahmed Azam Khan in Faridpur.
Addressing a brief rally on December 30, BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain announced the nationwide mass sit-in programme for January 11.
"The nationwide sit-in programme will be held for four hours from 10:00am to 2:00pm today. In Dhaka, the programme will be held in front of the Nayapaltan central office," the BNP leader said.
BNP insiders said the party will announce fresh agitation programmes from the mass sit-in. The party is likely to declare human chain, long-march, road-march or hunger strike programme.
BDST: 1107 HRS, JAN 11, 2023
MSK/SMS
