Bangladesh's opposition BNP to stage sit-in at Dhaka’s entry points to put pressure on govt

Bangladesh's main opposition party BNP on Friday announced that it will hold a five-hour sit-in at key entry points of the capital Dhaka on Saturday to press for holding the next year's polls under a neutral government.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme from the party's grand rally in the city's Naya Paltan area. "The sit-in will take place from 11 am to 4 pm," he said at the rally that coincided with an identical rally by the ruling Awami League in Dhaka.

He said it is their constitutional right to hold protest programmes and these will be peaceful, urging the authorities not to create any obstructions.

"No election can be held under this illegal, unconstitutional government. We have only one demand – the government must resign and dissolve parliament," Fakhrul said, as he renewed the BNP demand for an election-time caretaker administration.

This was the first rally by the BNP after protest marches earlier this month following its announcement of a "final push" to topple the Sheikh Hasina government before the next general election scheduled to be held after six months, bdnews24.com reported.

The party's Chairperson and former premier Khaleda Zia is barred from political activities as per conditions set for her suspended prison sentences in graft cases.

The ruling Awami League did not announce any counter-demonstration at its rally, but its General Secretary Obaidul Quader alerted leaders and activists to possible violence during the BNP's programmes.

"Our roots are very deep in this soil. We have heard you (BNP) will block the roads. You will take positions at the entrances of Dhaka. We will block your routes," he said at the party rally, held 1.5 kilometers away from BNP's gathering.

The BNP is currently waging a campaign for holding the early January 2024 elections under a non-party caretaker government, fearing rigged polling.

The Awami League has declined it, saying the elections would be held under the incumbent government in line with the Constitution.

Both parties drew tens of thousands of supporters, but no clashes were reported. The BNP has claimed that police have arrested hundreds of party supporters in a sweeping crackdown a day ahead of anti-government protests.

''The government's time is running out. We must act decisively; there's no time to wait,'' BNP's Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said at the rally.

Apart from BNP, 37 like-minded political parties and alliances are also arranging separate rallies in different city areas to press for the resignation of the Awami League government and demand that the polls be held under a neutral government.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)