DHAKA: With their latest move for a mass hunger strike stalled, BNP Friday alleged that the government is pushing the opposition towards tougher action like hartal by blocking all ways of democratic protest.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the allegation at a press briefing at party chairperson’s Gulshan office.

He said: “The government itself is creating instability in the country closing all the paths of democratic protest. The ruling party does not want that the opposition wage movement in a conventional way.”    

The opposition would have no way but to call hartal to protest the “oppression being unleashed by the government”, the BNP leader said.

Expressing concern over the government’s attitude, Mirza Fakhrul said, “The fascist government has prevented the opposition from holding human-chain demo, didn’t allocate Paltan Maidan for mass hunger-strike programme. To protest such acts, we’ve called a meeting at Muktangan for July 25.”

Fakhrul alleged that the government is trying to resurrect the defunct one-party ‘Baksal’ system in the country once again and to stop democratic practice through amendment to the constitution.

Regarding government allegation that the opposition party is waging movement to foil war criminals’ trial, he said, “Our movement is for people’s interest--it has no connection whatsoever with the trial of war criminals.”

BNP Joint-secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and chairperson’s adviser and former IGP Abdul Quayum were present.

BDST: 1808 HRS. JULY 23, 2010