BNP calls 48-hr hartal covering voting day
FE REPORT | Friday, 5 January 2024
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced on Thursday a 48-hour hartal to be observed from 6:00am on Saturday in protest against the 'one-sided' national election scheduled to be held on January 7 (Sunday next).
The party disclosed the programme through a press release issued on the day.
Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the shutdown would come into effect at 6am on Saturday and continue till 6am on Monday.
He said that other like-minded parties would also observe the hartal.
BNP and its like-minded parties have been on the movement to oust the ruling Awami League government to clear the way for holding the 12th parliamentary election under a neutral caretaker administration.
The hartal comes after the party's eight-day mass contact and leaflet distribution campaign to get support from the public for boycotting the election.
Mr Rizvi further said that BNP would bring out procession and hold a mass contract programme today (Friday).
Earlier BNP observed hartal on October 29, 2023 across the country protesting against the clashes between police and the party stalwarts during its grand rally in the capital on October 28, 2023.
Later BNP and its like-minded parties also observed hartal and blockade programmes on different days in November 2023 to realise their demands including release of detained opposition leaders and activists and resignation of the government and holding national election under a neutral caretaker government.