If there is a nationwide deadlock in agitation, then the stakeholders will be shaken
Prof Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed
Dept of Int’l relations, DU
Awami League should engage in election-oriented campaign instead of countering BNP's programme
Prof Dr. Sabbir Ahmed
Dept of Political Science, DU
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will hold a mega rally in Dhaka on October 28. The party made the announcement at a rally in Nayapaltan on October 18. And there are many equations going on in politics around this announcement. The Awami League (AL) has announced to resist if BNP comes to the field. The party, which is in power for a third consecutive term, has threatened to oust the opposition from a rally held at the south gate of the National Mosque on October 18. As a result, some believe that October 28 is a turning point in politics. There is a lot of talk about whether BNP will hold a peaceful rally or the party has some other purpose.
Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling party, is openly saying that BNP is conspiring in the name of movement. Meanwhile, BNP has set a deadline for the ruling party on October 18. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has clearly asked AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to decide whether they will leave or not. That is, BNP is asking to resign before the mega rally on October 28, otherwise it will be forced, said one of the top leaders of the main opposition party on the streets. As a result, the counting of days in the country's politics has started on October 28. In tea stalls, offices, courts or any locality, the question of the common people is what will happen in the country on or after the 28th? Will BNP be able to make the movement successful, will AL maintain its position? Businessmen and people from different walks of life are under the stress of October 28. There is also concern among students and their parents.
Political analysts are also wondering where the course of politics is going. It is not certain that the existing political deadlock will be resolved by holding talks or dialogue as The AL and BNP are adamant on their respective demands. They feel that if the opposition parties announce a program, it is not right for the ruling party to give a counter. As a democratic right, opposition parties will act, but if they violate the law and create chaos, law enforcement will take action. Analysts say that so far the opposition parties have not been able to give any showdown on the streets so that the government can back down from their decision. Analysts believe that the opposition and the ruling party should have the mentality to make concessions in the interest of the country and democracy.
Dr Sabbir Ahmed, Professor of Political Science Department, Dhaka University (DU) has suggested what to do in the ongoing political deadlock, saying the BNP's programme and Awami league's announcement of counter-resistance on October 28 has created tension in the minds of the general public. Talking to this reporter of Daily Post, he said that the AL now has to present its development activities to the common people, engage in the election campaign and work on inflation. To work in the interest of the people and bring the people to their support. "In no way should the AL give a counter to the October 28 programme announced by BNP. The BNP can do it if it wants to do it, there is no problem. If they violate the law, law enforcement will see it. The former Professor of Dhaka University advised the AL to remain calm till the schedule of the 12th national election is announced.
Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of Dhaka University, said, "The movement made by the opposition parties, including BNP, on the streets over the non-party government during the election is not enough." Talking to this reporter of Daily Post, he said, "BNP is holding rallies on the streets, AL is also holding rallies. People are coming to BNP rallies, AL is also holding rallies and people are with them. In this case, the ruling party does not see the need to accept the demands of the opposition. "If the opposition wants to fulfill their demands, they have to gather millions of people in Dhaka and at the same time show that the people are in support of their demands by taking people to the streets across the country," he said. But BNP can't do that. If 40,000-50,000 people participate in the programme, it is not a mass movement or a people's movement, he said. He said that if there is a movement across Bangladesh, if there is a deadlock in all sectors including trade and commerce, then the stakeholders will be shaken.
Stating that they will have to wait till the announcement of the schedule, the political analyst said that if BNP does not go to the election after the announcement of the schedule, then a kind of politics will be created, which is showing signs right now. And if it goes, there will be some kind of politics. Meanwhile, he said that in the current situation, the big demands of the people have to be brought forward if there is to be a dialogue. If people across the country demand (election-time government), then an atmosphere of dialogue can be created, not before that. Because if the rally is called without the heads of the two parties, there are thousands of people in the rallies of both parties, so it does not have much effect on the government.
JH
