BNP, allies call countrywide daylong hartal for Thursday
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BNP would stage demonstrations and procession at 3pm Wednesday in front of its Naya Paltan central office on the same issue, in a bid to drum up the strike call.
BNP acting Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir gave the announcement at a press conference at BNP’s Naya Paltan central office at 12noon.
The decision came from an emergency meeting of top BNP leaders on Monday night, hot on the heels of massive troubles in the capital earlier in the day during demonstrations by losing stock-market investors and politicos of Jamaat-e-Islami.
BNP’s allies and like-minded parties will also simultaneously enforce the shutdown.
Announcing the decision, Mirza Fakhrul said, “The government, out of its authoritarian mindset, stoked up public sufferings and created crisis raising the price of fuel oils.”
“The hartal is called to protest government’s undemocratic, one-sided and anti-people decision,” he added.
The BNP leader alleged that country’s economy is facing the worst crisis because of price hike of fuel oils three months ago.
Expressing apprehension that the price rises would compound public sufferings, he said, “Different sectors like agriculture, industries, power and commerce of the country will come to a halt. Prices of necessities will go beyond the reach of the common people for that.”
The government Sunday raised prices of diesel, kerosene, petrol and octane by Tk 5 a litre, and of furnace oil by Tk 8, which came into effect on Sunday midnight.
The price of compressed natural gas (CNG) was also raised by Tk 5 per unit with effect from Monday midnight.
Mirza Fakhrul held the government responsible for Monday’s police-Jamaat clash in Kakrail area.
“The government let loose RAB and police force on the opposition if they protest against their incapacities and inefficiencies,” he told the journalists.
BNP Standing Committee member Tariqul Islam, chairperson’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu, joint secretary-general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and organizing secretary Fazlul Haque Milon were among others present at the press conference.