& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

AL finds ally in WP, more talks on

Hartal tomorrow in build-up to anti-government alliance

Reaz Ahmad
The Awami League (AL) and leftist Workers Party (WP) yesterday agreed to forge a unity in a bid to force the coalition out of office, a new development in opposition politics that came two days before a daylong countrywide hartal.
Briefing newspersons after a meeting at 9:15pm, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said both parties agreed that there was no alternative to unseating the government to save Bangladesh from what they said was lawlessness.
The WP chief, Rashed Khan Menon, told reporters the issue of a collective agitation would be discussed with other partners in the 11 -
party leftist alliance.
"Allowing this government to continue one more day in office means bringing more miseries to people," Menon said.
AL's move to form an antigovernmentalliance came on expiry of its 30-day ultimatum for meeting the 15-point demand including curbs on price spiral of essentials and lawand order downslide.
Analysts viewed AL's 6:00am to 6:00pm hartal tomorrow as a political showdown against what it said was government's indifference to its demands, including the close-down of ruling BNP's controversial alternative powerhouse -- Hawa Bhaban.
"We will lay out fresh anti-
government programmes at a posthartal meeting," Jalil told The Daily Star, identifying rising crime, corruption and high living cost as the rationale for the 'broad-based proliberation unity'.
"Political dialogues will go on and we will talk to other leftist leaders and Dr Kamal Hossain of Oikya Procheshta,"hesaid.
The situation appears a bit dismal for the BNP-led coalition, especially after Sunday's walkout from parliament by lawmakers of the second largest opposition party -Ershad-led Jatiya Party - in a second stormy protest since November that ended up in the indefinite House boycott coinciding with AL's.
The JP, next to the AL in strength with 14 lawmakers, staged a stormy walkout from the session on Sunday, protesting government's restriction on the former president from flying abroad. The government did not even show any reason for the bar, prompting the JP lawmakers to take a hard line like boycott.
The AL that remained out of parliament for eight months now is thinking of initiating dialogues with the JP as well to add speed to its anti-coalition efforts.
With 59 representatives to parliament, the AL has been boycotting the Jatiya Sangsad since June 25 last year and its return is not in sight - an issue that will be discussed at the next meeting of the AL Parliamentary Party.
Kader Siddiqui of Krishak Sramik Janata League and Anwar Hossain Manju of JP (Manju) apart, no opposition representative attends the House where the presence of coalition lawmakers is not satisfactory resulting in quorum crisis.
HARTAL
"The prime minister and her government will have to resign if it doesn't meet our demands by February 10," Hasina threatened earlier at a Paltan Maidan rally, calling the February 12 hartal.
To drum up support for the hartal and anti-government demonstration, the AL exchanged views with professionals on January 11-16, staged demonstrations on January 18, held rallies and processions in districts on January 21-23 and in upazilas on January 27-29 and organised hustings over the last three days.
"The government's nonresponse is also a response and we'll react accordingly," Hasina's Political Secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury told The Daily Star yesterday.
AL sources say the government pushed the party to go ahead with the hartal despite business leaders' appeal against it. Bangladesh Cricket Board also made a plea in newspaper advertisements for not enforcing hartal.
The party will draw up its next programme, mindful of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and SSC and HSC examinations in March and May.