Photo : Messenger
Over the past decade, the blockade-strike has become largely ineffective. Despite that, BNP continued this program. People of different classes and professions are wondering why the same program is being continued even knowingly.
Meanwhile, the Chief Election Commissioner announced the schedule of the 12th National Election amid the blockade called by BNP. Analysts say that the current government has been able to ignore the BNP because of its failure to increase public participation in its movement.
Professor Anu Muhammad said in this regard, there were many strikes and blockades in 2006. Then BNP tried to form a caretaker government like themselves. There was violence against it. Then we saw the events of 1/11. Elections were held again in 2008 under a new caretaker government. The movement that is taking place after that is demanding democracy, elections, voting rights.
The election held in 2014 was one-party and what happened in 2018 is not an election. In the movement that took place in 2013-14, there was widespread violence in the hartal-blockade. Since the experience of people in hartal is bitter, hartal is not only violence but also many kinds of suffering, people’s interest in hartal is also waning as a result the appeal of hartal-blockade is no more.
However, BNP leaders are reluctant to publicly call their hartal-blockade program ineffective. But some admit on condition of anonymity that such programs have lost importance. In addition, the image of BNP has been tarnished due to sabotage.
A top leader of BNP told The Daily Messenger that the hartal-blockade is considered the most severe program in the political movement in this country. That is why BNP is continuing the hartal-blockade. In the capital, the siege may have dulled somewhat. However, he claimed that the strike-blockade has an effect outside Dhaka.
BNP leaders claim that the government has made it impossible to carry out normal political activities by using the Rab-Police-Intelligence Agency to carry out repression including disappearances and murders. Numerous cases have been filed against leaders and activists from the center to the field level. From the capital to the remote villages, the leaders of the opposition parties are unable to sleep in their homes. Even the central office of the party in Nayapaltan of the capital has been locked by the police.
Regarding the blockade called by BNP, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said that BNP has called the blockade to commit violence. BNP is the main enemy of the nation. In order to secure the democracy, liberation war and freedom of Bangladesh, the communal forces under the leadership of BNP must be resisted and defeated. The group has once again staged a blockade to burn and vandalize buses.
Awami League general secretary also said, “BNP has become tired due to the blockade. The people rejected them. This blunt weapon will no longer be useful. BNP has some hired people. There are some trained illustrators. Only they jump, people have no involvement with them.”
Meanwhile, the BNP has been holding a series of strikes and blockades since the BNP’s grand rally was held in Dhaka on October 28. However, the fifth round of 48-hour blockade called by BNP to demand the resignation of the government, elections under a non-partisan caretaker government and the release of arrested activists did not have much impact on the public life of the capital.
On Wednesday (November 15), various areas of the capital were visited, as the day progressed, the pressure of vehicles increased. Activity has returned to important places like Motijheel, Gabtali in the capital. Workers also started going to work. Apart from public transport, many private vehicles were also seen on the roads.
According to the report in Dhaka and various districts, even though the long-distance traffic has stopped due to the BNP’s fifth round of blockade, the traffic between the cities has increased a lot. Traffic jams were also seen in many parts of Dhaka. It has been found in the divisional cities of the country that long-distance traffic has been stopped from almost all the divisions. However, traffic is moving within cities and upazilas. However, BNP activists did not show much activity in any divisional city.
Most of the private offices and shops in the capital Dhaka are also open. The number of vehicles plying the roads yesterday was higher than the amount of traffic seen in the capital in the morning during the previous few blockades of BNP. Along with public transport on the roads, private vehicles also increased on Wednesday. Office going people and school students are very stressed on the streets.
Earlier, in a virtual press conference, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the blockade program will be held to demand the one-sided demand of the fall of the government, the trial of the murder of the killed comrades, the proper treatment of the injured and the release of thousands of leaders and activists arrested across the country and the cessation of harassment.
Accusing of false cases, Rizvi said, the government is once again filing a flood of bizarre, fabricated and absurd cases for fear of losing its power. The police has now become a factory for the production of hidden information. The government is making a last ditch effort to survive through state terror by taking control of the state machinery.
Messenger/Disha
