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Opposition parties plan agitation for early polls

Staff Correspondent
Mainstream opposition parties plan to force the government to announce early general elections through a vigorous movement after turning down the government's offer of dialogue with thorn,
Policymakers of the opposition parties are now working out a strategy to realise the demand after rejecting Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's talks offer terming it as a 'cos-meticcall'.
After three days of countiywide hartal protesting the deadly grenade attack on an Awami League (AL) rally
lnDhakaonAugust21,11-left parties and Jatiya Samajtantrlk Dal (JSD-Inu) arc discussing broad-based unity with the ALfor theagitation.
The opposition leaders last night sal with Loader of the Opposition Sheikh Haslna at her Sudha Sadan residence to discuss the overall political situation.
The next agitation in protest against the grenade attack that killed 19 people and Injured over 200 others on Bangabandhu Avenue Is likely to Include a 12-hour countrywide dawn-to-duskhartal this week, opposition sources said.
The opposition leaders are also
pondering political programmes alternative to hartal to Involve people and professional bodies in the anti-government demonstration.
Earlier, frontline AL leaders on Friday night discussed the political situation and next agitation programmes while die 11 left parties are discussing the option of joining a united movement with the AL.
Sources said the left leaders at a meeting at the Bangladesh Samajtantrlk Dal office yesterday were divided over die united movement, especially over the 'excessive
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use of hartal' by the AL.
Bikalpa Dhara is also confused about joining the united movement, as it is not sure about the next step of opposition unity.
"All the mainstream opposition parties have agreed to launch an oust-government movement and are now working out the ways to kick off it," AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil told reporters at his house yesterday.
Talking to The Daily Star, JSD President Hasanul Haque Inu said at yesterday's meeting he would ask Hasina, also the AL president, about the strategy of the movement.
The opposition parties earlier turned down Khaleda's talk offer, saying her call was cosmetic and bent on diverting people's attention from the grisly grenade attack in the heart of the capital.
"The prime minister's glib statement to sit with the opposition parties is nothing but a political stunt to divert people's attention from her government's involvement in the grisly attacks," Jalil told reporters.
Political analysts believe the prime minister's call will not bear any fruit in the tense political situation.
They say the government's prime duty now is to identify criminals behind the grenade attacks rather than opening a dialogue with Hasina, but the Khaleda
administration is placing greater emphasis on the dialogue than progress in the probe.
They said the ruling coalition did not allow any discussion on opposition notices in parliament since taking office. The speaker rejected all the notices demanding discussion on vital issues including law and order, price hike of essentials and corruption because of the government's opposition.
If the government allowed discussion in parliament, many vital issues could be resolved and the necessity of dialogue with the opposition outside parliament would not be necessary, they said.
Jatiya Party (Manju) Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju said Khaleda's eagerness to meet Hasina, who escaped the attacks with grievous inner ear injury, was only to express her sympathy for her.
Proper and impartial probe into the crime is more important now than a meeting between the political archrivals, he said.
"I don't know what has prompted the government to think for a national consensus through dialogue with the opposition instead of tracking down the criminals through an international probe," said Saber Hossain Chowdhury, political secretary to the AL president.