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POLITICAL POLARISATION AFTER GRENADE ATTACKS

BNP desperate to keep AL isolated from minor parties

Staff Correspondent
The BNP policymakers are as busy as a bee to keep the minor political parties, specially the left-leaning ones, away from forging alliance with the main opposition Awami League, which has launched a movement to unseat the coalition regime.
Highly placed sources said the BNP high command is desperate to keep its arch-rival isolated and has assigned several top-ranking BNP leaders who have leftist political background to talk with the leaders of left-leaning parties and persuade them to keeping a neutral stance.
Instructed by the prime minister, they said, since the August 21 grenade attack on an AL rally, around half a dozen BNP top brass have sat down with some important left political leaders and succeeded to keep their parties from joining the AL-planned alliance.
"We have set some leaders within the left political arena, who brief the BNP high command on
every meeting they hold with the Awami League leadership. We are closely monitoring the main opposition's moves and trying our best to keep the leftist parties away from it," said an important leader of BNP.
Besides, all intelligence agencies have been directed to take measures that would hinder the AL from forming an effective alliance or launching a vigorous movement against the government.
BNP insiders said the ruling party leaders do not consider an alliance between the AL and the lesser political parties, who do not have any vote bank as such, ahead of a general election would cause any significant harm to the 4-party coalition. But, they said, the BNP does not want the lesser parties join forces with the AL in its oust-government movement, which it believes might damage the government's image.
Sources said the BNP policymakers assigned to keep the AL isolated are in constant contact with leaders of left-leaning parties including Workers' Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, Sammyabadi Dal, Shramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal, Gono Azadi League and Gonoforum.
They claimed the ruling coalition leader has succeeded in creating divisions within the leaderships of leftist groups and believes the AL would not be able to forge any powerful anti-government alliance with them, most of whom have responded negatively to the AL's call.
BNP leaders said they also have been taken steps to strengthen party activities and to hold public meetings and mass contact programmes before and after the month of Ramadan.
According to sources, the BNP is also in touch with the bigwigs and lawmakers of Jatiya Party led by H M Ershad, besides holding talks with other smaller rightwing parties including the Jatiya Party led by Anwar Hossain Manju and Krishak Shramik Janata League of Quader Siddiqui.
The ruling party policymakers are putting constant pressure on Ershad to abstain from aligning with the AL and, if he makes such an attempt, they plan to create further splits in the JP, the BNP sources added.