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AL prepares to tackle BNP

Month-long programme this month

Hasan Jahid Tusher
The grassroots of the ruling Awami League are readying themselves to counter the postEid anti-government movement threatened by the BNP.
Instructed by the party high-ups, leaders of the AL’s district and upazila units are drawing up plans to thwart any attempt of the BNP to create chaos in the name of movement.
The AL men would remain active in the field-levels throughout this month centring on the National Mourning Day on August 15, the day when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was murdered along with most of his family members in 1975.
All the 74 organisational district units of the ruling party would hold meetings and elaborate programmes to mark the day.
At those meetings, they would also plan their next course of actions to deal with the BNP's threat of antigovernment movements, according to the AL grassroots leaders.
Since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other senior AL leaders have been speaking against the BNP threat for the better part of the last couple of weeks, the AL grassroots have already got a hint of the party high command's message about what they should do.
The AL's Dhaka city unit is likely to take highest precaution as the BNP had declared its movements would be capital-centric. Top city unit leaders have already talked to lawmakers of the capital and different thana and ward unit leaders in this regard, AL insiders said.
AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif have already issued verbal directives to the party grassroots to stay united and prepared to foil any bid of the BNP to spark violence in the country, according to grassroots leaders.
In the last two days, The Daily Star talked to the presidents and the general secretaries of over 10 districts and 12 upazilas to learn what they are doing or thinking about it.
“We have called an extended meeting of the district committee for August 4 when we will draw up programmes for August 15 and plans to deal with BNP's movements," said Asgar Ali, general secretary of Kushtia district AL.
If the BNP tries to create chaos, they along with the people would resist it, he said.
Most of those AL leaders believe people would not participate in the BNP movements. With the party in
power this time, the AL men would spontaneously tackle the BNP's bid to create chaos, they said.
The general secretary of a district unit AL under Rangpur division said though they are making preparations to counter “chaos" the BNP might create, they might fail to do so because of intra-party feuds in his unit.
Aslamul Haque Aslam, an AL lawmaker from Dhaka, warned the BNP of a “befitting answer" if it tries to create chaos in the capital.
Mahbubul Alam Hanif told Hie Daily Star that the AL would not obstruct BNP's movement if it is peaceful.
“If BNP resorts to vandalism, killings and arson, like it did before the January 5 national elections, the government will contain them with an iron hand and the Awami League will assist the government by all means," he said. He said the AL would remain on the street with different programmes till December.