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18-party Rally at Suhrawardy Udyan

BNP agrees finally, tension eases

AL drops rally plan in Dhaka; more opposition men arrested; violence in Ctg

Staff Correspondent
After a daylong drama, the BNP-led opposition alliance last night decided to hold today's rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in keeping with the DMP permission.
The opposition, however, demanded the government ensure security of rally goers and the venue and urged the ruling Awami League not to go ahead with its plan to take positions at different points across the capital.
Tension ran high as the opposition yesterday evening announced it would organise the programme in Nayapaltan area, while the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said they would allow it only at Suhrawardy Udyan.
"The opposition has to stage the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan. There is no scope for holding it elsewhere," DMP Deputy Commissioner (public relations) Masudur Rahman told The Daily Star around 9:15pm yesterday.
After the opposition agreed with the DMP, Awami League Organising Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim last night said the ruling party would not go for any counter programme.
But leaders and activists at AL offices will stay alert to any subversive activities by Jamaat-Shibir men, he added.
BNP insiders say the party high-ups till 9:30pm were seriously considering the Nayapaltan venue.
But around 10:20pm, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, addressing a press conference at Khaleda's Gulshan office, said the rally would be held at Suhrawardy Udyan.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, however, may not announce any tougher agitation programmes from the rally if police do not interrupt them. She might issue an ultimatum to the government to accept the opposition demand by November 7.
A senior BNP leader told The Daily Star yesterday that the 18-party opposition combine will continue its efforts to gear up agitation at the district-level to keep activists ready for a movement in the coming days.
Also yesterday, the two political rivals were given permission for rallies at two separate venues in Chittagong today - the ruling Awami League at the Central Shaheed Minar premises and the BNP at Kajir Deury.
In many districts, ruling Awami League and BNP-led opposition men have taken massive preparations for a face-off on the streets today, triggering fear of violence.
The opposition has been publicising that October 25 would be the last day of the current government and urging their supporters to take to the streets on the day.
In fact, the tenure of the current government will expire on January 24, the day parliament will complete its five-year tenure.
The current session of the Jatiya Sangsad was supposed to be prorogued on October 24. The opposition parties set October 24 as a deadline
for the government to amend the constitution to restore the non-partisan caretaker governmentsystem.
To counter the opposition's threat, the government on Tuesday decided that parliament's current session will continue till November 7.
The opposition parties did not change the deadline and announced that they would hold countrywide rallies today.
The BNP-led alliance on October 10 applied for a rally either at Suhrawardy Udyan or Paltan Maidan or in front of the BNP's Nayapaltan office at to intensify the street agitations for a non-partisan election-time administration.
But nine days later, DMP imposed an indefinite ban on all political meetings, rallies and processions in the capital to be effective from the morning of October 20.
Infuriated, the opposition has been maintaining that it would hold its planned rally in front of its central office defying the police ban.
A BNP delegation yesterday noon went to the DMP headquarters and sought permission for Nayapaltan.
Finally around 6:00pm, the DMP granted permission for the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on 13-point strict conditions.
As per the conditions, opposition supporters cannot join the rally with processions and they can gather at the venue two hours before the beginning of the rally which must end by 5:00pm. They cannot gather in any areas outside the venue.
Notified of the permission in the evening,
the same BNP delegation again rushed to the DMP headquarters and informed the police that they would not hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan.
"We want to hold the rally at Nayapaltan considering the security of the party chief and the rally as well," Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, joint secretary general of the BNP, told The Daily Star at 8:50pm yesterday.
But later speaking at the press conference on behalf of the 18-party alliance, Fakhrul said, "We have taken the decision to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan for the sake of peace and negotiation. We hope the government will ensure security of the rally goers and the venue.
"We also hope that tomorrow the ruling party men will keep themselves away from gathering at different points of the city.
"We clearly want to say that if the ruling party and the law enforcement forces obstruct the rally and create anarchy, the government will be responsible for the consequences."
According to a BNP source, the opposition did not like to get locked into clashes as the current parliament session would continue till November 7. So, as it has time, getting involved in a conflict would not be a good decision right now.
Moreover, there is a possibility of talks between the AL and BNP to resolve the political standoff over the polls-time government, the party insiders said.
DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed said he hoped the BNP would hold the rally peacefully.
"We hoped that their rally would be peaceful as per their promise. But if any quarters violate the law, damage public and private properties and put lives in danger, law enforcers will resist them and bring them to book," he added.
In another development, the Dhaka city AL yesterday evening announced that it would not hold its planned rally in the capital today, showing respect to the police ban.
Earlier in the day, the unit leaders at a meeting announced that they would take to the streets today to foil "anarchy by opposition men."
Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, general secretary of the city AL, told reporters that the DMP did not grant them permission for the rally today.
However, the ruling AL has directed its leaders and workers to take all out preparations across the country to thwart "any unlawful acts by the opposition".
At the same time, AL men have also been directed to remain present at mosques in the capital so that Jamaat-Shibir could not launch any subversive activities from the religious institutions.
Besides, AL allies in the 14-party have also been directed to remain alert across the country. Sources said 14-party men will join AL men if any emergency is created.
HM Ershad's Jatiya Party, a component of the grand alliance, will be off the scene today, according to the party insiders.