Bangladesh News

The Awami League (AL) may go for tougher programmes, including street agitations, in a couple of weeks to force the government to withdraw all charges against Sheikh Hasina and lift the state of emergency.

The party will also speak out against holding upazila elections ahead of the general election at its meetings with the Election Commission (EC) on September 4 and 9, party leaders said.

The tough programmes came up for discussion at the AL’s Central Working Committee meeting at its Dhanmondi office yesterday. The meeting, presided over by acting party President Zillur Rahman, was adjourned till 11:00am today.

Sources said today’s meeting will review the latest political development and its fallout, not least the possible release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman.

Acting AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters that the government should free all people arrested in the anti-corruption drive before releasing Tarique, who he said ran a parallel government during the BNP-Jamaat coalition administration, becoming the “world champion in corruption.”

On Tarique’s bail in all the cases against him, Zillur Rahman said people would put him on trial.

He said the BNP was directly collaborating with the caretaker government.

“We’ll have to take a tough stance as without showing strength the government seems reluctant to pay heed to our demands,” Organising Secretary Abdul Mannan told the meeting.

Party leaders said they will oppose some of the provisions of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) on political party registration at their meetings with the EC.

They said they will ask the commission not to ban front organisations and foreign chapters of political parties as well as not include ‘no vote’ option in the ballot paper.

The party will not get registered with the Election Commission (EC) if the conditions are not addressed, they said.

Col (retd) Faruk Khan told The Daily Star that they would first try to reach a consensus with both the government and the EC through discussions.

“If they don’t realise our demands, then we’ll have no alternative but to go for movements,” he said.

To ensure that the government withdraws all charges against Hasina, the AL may warn of keeping itself from contesting any polls without her.

Referring to ‘conspiracies’ to foil the general election in time, Syed Ashraful Islam said if the parliamentary polls are not held in December, then it might not be held even in next five years.

“A man’s death in the gas-cylinder explosion of a microbus after Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal set fire to it and unrest in the garment sector are nothing but indications of foiling the national elections.

Terming two incidents staged dramas, he said the quarters who do not want democracy in the country are doing this.

He criticised the government for allowing BNP-Jamaat alliance leaders to hold political meeting with Khaleda Zia inside the special jail and said it was part of a conspiracy to foil the general election.