BNP’s non-cooperation movementMany opposition leaders doubt its success

The BNP on Wednesday declared a non-cooperation movement against the government and urged the countrymen to postpone paying all types of taxes, utility bills and other payments from now on.

Amid their non-cooperation movement, the opposition party also announced a series of mass contact programmes for 21-23 December and a nationwide blockade for 24 December to press home their demands. 

Addressing a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the announcement fresh agitation programmes.

The BNP leader called for the countrymen to boycott the 7 January “dummy election” and not to go to polling centres on the day of election.

He also called the officials and employees appointed for voting, to refrain from discharging their duties. The Election Commission will announce who will be the members of the parliament on 7 January, the list has already been prepared at Ganobhaban, he added.

While announcing the non-cooperation movement, Rizvi urged the people of the country to postpone paying all types of taxes, utility bills and other payments to the government from now on. He called upon the countrymen to consider whether depositing their money in banks is secure or not.

Rizvi also asked his party leaders and activists not to appear before court in “false” cases.

A large number of leaders and activists of the opposition parties, including the BNP, however, are sceptical about the successful implementation of their non-cooperation movement, thinking that it would be quite challenging to implement it in the current perspective as people had already defied recently enforced hartal and blockade programmes, said party insiders.

“BNP’s announcement of non-cooperation movement reaffirms the fact that the BNP is a liberal political party that peacefully conducts its protests and movement with respect for opponents,” BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan said.

A few central and grassroots leaders said it would be testing to implement the non-cooperation movement as the activists of the ruling party AL and its allies would be in the streets during the election campaigns and try to foil the movement.

Besides, the opposition activists cannot take to the streets and picket during hartal or blockade programmes in the presence of a huge number of law enforcers.

A lot of transport movement and traffic jams during the recent country-side strikes and blockade programmes have made the opposition party men doubtful about the success of their non-cooperation movement.

BNP insiders said party leaders disagreed with the announcement of the non-cooperation movement without adequate campaigns in favour of such programmes.

Not only that but even the top leaders of the allies were not informed about the movement. They came to know about it after it was formally announced publicly, a top leader of the Ganatantra Manch, a coalition of six parties which is involved in simultaneous movement with the BNP.

During the BNP standing committee meeting held on Monday and Tuesday, its acting chairman Tarique Rahman was rigid in going for a non-cooperation movement even though party policymakers had different opinions.

At least ten grassroots leaders and activists said if people do not pay utility bills, the authorities may cut their connection, which will push them into suffering.