As part of its bid of returning to power without election, at the direct instructions of the party’s “high-command”, country’s main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is looking to unseat the ruling Awami League government from power during its last political program scheduled for October 28-31. Meanwhile, BNP leaders have asked party leaders and activists to “reach Dhaka by October 25 so that they can attend the October 28 rally”. According to media reports the party has “prepared a guideline for the activists on how to get to the capital avoiding obstacles, party insiders said, adding that the initiative was taken after lessons learnt from the December 10 and July 28 rallies in Dhaka”.
Meanwhile, a highly-placed source in the BNP told this correspondent, participants of the rally are already provided a blueprint instructing the participants about where they would stay and what sort of camouflage they would use once they enter Dhaka city.
The source said, “at least fifty thousand BNP activists shall enter Dhaka city under the guise of Tablighi Jamaat, while others entering the city shall go underground mostly by taking shelter inside unconventional places, such as industrial and commercial complexes”.
The source further said, BNP has formed three separate units – political unit, media unit and military unit, for its October 28-31 program. At the directives of party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, the media unit shall be headed by Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey from the United States while he will coordinate with several editors and reporters in Bangladesh, including the owner of a TV channel who also is a leader of the party. Military wing shall be headed by former military officer Hasinur Rahman. Political wing shall be jointly coordinated by five mid-ranking leaders of the party.
It is learnt, during the last hours on October 28, Tarique Rahman shall virtually join the program along with his daughter Barrister Zaima Rahman. He will instruct participants to lay siege by sitting on the streets and continue “protests” until “ouster of the government”. As the participants shall sit on the streets, from that night, military units under the command of Hasinur Rahman shall begin confronting members of law enforcement agencies using Molotov cocktail, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and short weapons. Once the armed clash expands, BNP men shall begin arson attacks targeting offices of ruling Awami League as well as residential and commercial establishments of the party leaders.
Awami League leaders and law enforcement agencies have warned of tough actions if there is any untoward incident centering the October 28 rally.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said his party has “only one plan: Hold the October 28 grand rally peacefully in Dhaka”.
He said the BNP has no intent to occupy the streets.
“It [the notion that the BNP will go for a sit-in] is completely untrue and propaganda. We did not ask our leaders and activists to come to Dhaka and sit on the streets. We told them that after the program on the 28th, everyone would go back to their respective places and they would wait for the next program”, he told journalists.
The BNP leader also said the party would not call any program for which its leaders and activists would have to stay in the capital.
“We can assure you that our grand rally will be held peacefully like before. We will take necessary steps in this regard”, he said.
Commenting on Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s remarks, a highly-placed source in BNP said “it is not our Secretary General who will decide what to do on October 28. Our leader Tarique Rahman has already asked us to take preparations for occupying streets and go for a sit-in from October 28 until the government is ousted. We shall follow this instruction. We are prepared to become martyrs”.
Meanwhile, another source said, Tarique Rahman is willing to see the October 28 rally turn violent as this is the last chance for the party in unseating the government. The Election Commission is expected to announce the election schedule by the first week of November, after which there will not be any scope for BNP in taking programs to foil the election.
Another source told this correspondent, if October 28-31 program flops, Tarique Rahman will immediately switch to process of joining the next general election, although, according to multiple sources, he has already assigned a BNP leader who also owns a TV channel to finalize list of 100 constituencies where potential candidates shall be required to pay BDT 5-20 crores for getting party’s nomination.
Expressing silent anger, the source said, “In 2018 Tarique Rahman had sold the nomination to wrong candidates and this time again he is repeating the same blunder. He is doing this being influenced by some wrong elements within his inner circle, who want to run BNP as a mere grocery store”.
