DHAKA — The 11-party alliance announced a new program Thursday demanding implementation of the referendum verdict, easing public hardship and ensuring an educational environment by ending campus violence.
The program was announced at a meeting of the alliance’s liaison committee at the central office of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in Moghbazar, Dhaka, at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 30.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. A.H.M. Hamidur Rahman Azad, assistant secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, former member of parliament and coordinator of the 11-party alliance.
After the meeting, the leaders jointly briefed reporters.
At the briefing, Hamidur Rahman Azad said: “Under the new program, the 11-party alliance will hold divisional-level rallies in seven divisional cities along with neighboring districts. Our main demands are implementation of the referendum verdict, easing public hardship, resolving the fuel crisis and controlling commodity prices. The demands also include improving law and order, ending extortion, terrorism, anarchy and land grabbing, resolving problems in the health sector, ending corruption in health and education and ending campus violence to ensure an educational environment and restore peace in the country, which is essential for the development of democracy.”
He said: “The government is so politicizing institutions that it is appointing only its party members in recruitment, transfers and promotions. Instead of holding local government elections, party members have been appointed as administrators. We have taken up a program to build public opinion against all this, and we will hold protests, rallies and processions on the streets.”
Hamidur Rahman Azad said: “The government did a despicable thing at the very outset by not implementing the referendum verdict. It ignored and disregarded the verdict of 70 percent of the people. They were supposed to take the oath of the Constitution Reform Council, form the Constitution Reform Council and implement all reform proposals, particularly constitutional reforms, within 180 days. Although the ruling party made that promise, they ignored public opinion and did not take the oath of the Constitution Reform Council. Now they have begun a process of bringing a constitutional amendment proposal to parliament through trickery. We condemn and protest this and are alerting the people. More public opinion must be built against this. The movement must be made more vigorous and stronger. To that end, we, the 11 parties, want to intensify the street movement by involving the people in solving their problems. With that goal, we have decided to hold rallies in seven divisions on different dates.”
He then announced the new programs:
May 16: divisional rally in Rajshahi
June 13: divisional rally in Chattogram
June 20: divisional rally in Khulna
June 27: divisional rally in Mymensingh
July 11: divisional rally in Rangpur
July 18: divisional rally in Barishal
July 25: divisional rally in Sylhet
A grand rally will be held in October.
On the new program, Hamidur Azad said: “Seminar programs are ongoing in various metropolitan areas and will be held in stages. We have therefore kept programs every month. A program will be held before Eid. These rallies will draw large crowds, involving the city corporations and surrounding districts.”
He added: “We have made some other decisions. Liaison committees will be formed at the district level, and top leaders and liaison committee members will travel to the divisional level. A district-based tour program has also been arranged to make election activities more effective. We will hold exchange-of-views meetings with professionals, civil society members, journalists and citizen representatives in Dhaka and in every metropolitan area and various districts. A program to respond to the budget will be held in Dhaka. The 11-party alliance will also exchange views with people of various classes and professions in Dhaka.”
Dr. Hamidur Rahman Azad said: “There is again occupation and anarchy at various educational institutions, and sinister plans are being hatched. Through the anti-discrimination movement, students freed the campuses on August 5. Now government means, various agencies and parties are being used to replace the Chhatra League void with the Chhatra Dal. To prevent these sinister maneuvers, the student community must remain alert — that is why an exchange-of-views meeting will be held with students. At the same time, roundtable meetings, rallies and protest programs will continue under each party’s banner.”
Those present included Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, spokesman of the National Citizen Party (NCP); Maulana Jalaluddin, secretary general of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis; Abdul Majed Athari, senior naib-e-amir of Nezam-e-Islam Party; Dr. Mostafizar Rahman Iran, chairman of Bangladesh Labour Party; Engineer Rashed Pradhan, spokesman and vice president of National Democratic Party; Abdullah Al Mamun Rana, joint secretary general of AB Party; Billal Miaji, acting secretary general of LDP; Abdul Jalil, joint secretary general of Khelafat Majlis; Nizamul Haque Naeem, secretary general of Bangladesh Development Party; advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer, assistant secretary general and secretary for publicity and media of Jamaat-e-Islami; and Mobarak Hossain, member of Jamaat’s executive council, among others.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report