Mass Movement Can't Be Stopped by Threats: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday warned that the ongoing movement cannot be suppressed by threatening to send the party’s chairperson Khaleda Zia back to jail, reports UNB.

He made this remark at the chairperson's office in Gulshan in a response to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's statement that Khaleda Zia will be sent back to jail again if BNP does excesses in the name of movement.

Fakhrul said, “At a time when the country is going through extreme mismanagement, extreme economic and political crisis, she (the Prime Minister) is making such a threat - if she thinks it will disrupt or suppress the movement of democracy, then she is not living in the right place."

No one will be able to suppress this movement of the people. People are fighting for their rights, he added. “Such threats will do nothing to this movement.”

"Her (Prime Minister's) statement has proved that they are vengeful and they do not believe in democracy and independence of the judiciary."

It is because of political vendetta that PM Hasina made such statements and in such a situation, he added.

The last divisional rally to be held in Dhaka

Mirza Fakhrul said the last divisional rally will be held in Dhaka on December 10.

“We have announced that we will hold the rally in each division. After that, the responsibility is on the government what they do or not."

“We will continue our protest at any cost to restore democracy along with the people,” Fakhrul added.

As part of its move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced programmes of a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.

The organisers said the rallies are meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government. The government rejects the demand as unconstitutional.

The rally in Barishal will be the 5th one by the BNP at the divisional level on Saturday as four others were held in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna and Rangpur.