BNP announces 48-hr nationwide hartal from 6 Jan

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday called a 48-hour countrywide hartal from 6 January to protest the 12th parliamentary election, slated for 7 January.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP senior joint secretary general, came up with the announcement at a virtual press briefing.

He said the hartal will begin at 6am on 6 January and end at 6am on 8 January.

Earlier at another virtual press briefing, Rizvi said their party will bring out processions and conduct mass contacts across the country on Friday in protest against the election.

He said their programme is meant to drum up public support in favour of the party’s call to boycott the 7 January election.

Rizvi said other like-minded opposition parties will also observe a similar programme on Friday, just two days before the election day.

He called upon the opposition leaders and workers to make the programme a success with their spontaneous support.

On Monday, the BNP extended its mass contact and leaflet distribution programme until Thursday.

On 24 December, the major opposition party announced a three-day mass contact and leaflet distribution programme beginning on 26 December. Later, the programme was extended thrice.

The BNP along with nearly three dozen opposition political parties have been carrying out a simultaneous movement since 10 December 2022 to force the current government to quit and hold the 12th parliamentary election under a non-party neutral administration.

BNP’s movement lost its momentum following clashes with law enforcers centring the party’s grand rally on 28 October as many senior leaders, including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, were arrested while many others went into hiding in the face of a crackdown by the law enforcers.

However, the BNP and like-minded parties enforced countrywide blockades for 23 days in 12 phases and hartals for five days in four spells since 29 October.

Finally, the opposition party came up with the call for a non-cooperation movement on 20 December.