AL plans for both polls, agitation

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The Awami League (AL) is planning to make all-out preparations for participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections and launching a movement to press home its six-point demand including release of party chief Sheikh Hasina.

Party leaders said they are preparing themselves for both because the AL chief may direct them any time to go for either the polls or the movement.

Hasina had instructed the party to take part in the election so that the non-elected caretaker government cannot stay in power for long.

At an extended meeting of the party on May 26 in Dhaka, however, the grassroots and national level leaders unanimously suggested boycotting the election in case Hasina is not released. They also asked the party leadership to announce tough agitation programmes to realise their demands.

On May 28, the AL Central Working Committee decided to announce programmes including a mass signature campaign and extended meetings across the country to prepare the ground for tougher movements in the coming days.

“We will be fully prepared for both the election and a movement,” AL Organising Secretary and Hasina’s Political Secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

“We will make maximum organisational preparations so that we can immediately implement the party decision on whether to launch movements or take part in the elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, the AL is yet to take any decision on whether to participate in the dialogue or elections without the party chief who has been detained since July 16 last year.

Hectic negotiations have been going on between the authorities concerned and Hasina recently to have a way out for her release to ensure her participation in the dialogue and the election.

Both Hasina and her party want her unconditional release, but different sources said the government wants to release her on parole or by other conditional means.

But before making such preparations the AL will gradually prepare the ground for movements through organising the party across the country.

Many AL leaders think if the government does not pay any heed to their demands, there would be no alternative to going for the movement.

“We will have to take the path of movement if the government does not take appropriate measures to make the dialogue successful and hold a free and fair election by realising our six-point demand,” AL Organising Secretary Mahmudur Rahman Manna told The Daily Star.

To warm up preparation, and also as part of its movement, the AL starts the mass signature collection tomorrow across the country except Dhaka. It will submit the signatures to the local administration to press home its demands.

AL Commerce and Industry Secretary Col (retd) Faruk Khan said, “We will organise people so that they remain fully prepared for both the movement and elections. We will also direct our leaders at the grassroots level to strengthen the party’s organisational capacity.”

Several groups of all central leaders will visit the party’s district and upazila units during June 15-30 and give their grassroots level leaders necessary directions regarding the movement and the election.

“We will discuss how to strengthen the organisational capacity across the country and make these programmes successful through people’s mass involvement with our programmes,” another AL Organising Secretary Akhtaruzzaman told The Daily Star.

However, many AL leaders think that the party does not have the organisational capacity right now to go for tougher movement. The anxiety has increased in the face of the government’s countrywide crackdown. These party leaders think that it would be tough for them to make these kinds of political programmes successful.

“Mass people’s involvement is a must to start the movement in the present context,” AL Publicity Secretary Asaduzzaman Noor told The Daily Star.

To strengthen organisational activities, the AL will also complete formation of committees for the party’s district and upazila units that presently have no party structure. It has already directed the grassroots level leaders to form their committees before the party’s movement for Hasina’s release begins.

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