BNP claims success, AL trashes it
The ruling Awami League (AL) said yesterday people hatefully rejected BNP's hartal on the day but the main opposition party said people spontaneously made the hartal a success despite government obstructions.
Both the parties came up with their claims at separate post-hartal press briefings.
The AL said BNP enforced the hartal to protect party Chairperson Khaleda Zia's family interests, and not on any national issue.
And the main opposition party said people expressed "no confidence" in the government by observing the hartal successfully.
"There was no spontaneity among people as the BNP illogically enforced the hartal to protect one person's [Khaleda Zia] family interests, and for this people became angry and disgusted with the hartal," AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said at a press conference at the party chief's Dhanmondi political office.
BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain told a press briefing at the Naya Paltan party central office that with one-sided hearing on Khaleda Zia's cantonment house, the government decision (in this regard) has been implemented. So, people observed a peaceful hartal across the country in protest against this.
The AL alleged that the opposition party created anarchy by resorting to violence and vandalism in the name of hartal.
On the other hand, BNP alleged accused the government of creating a reign of terror by obstructing its peaceful programme and arresting more than 3,000 party men since Saturday. Even the ruling party carders in "police uniform" were deployed on the streets to foil the opposition programme, he claimed.
Hanif said there is no such situation in the country for which the opposition is supposed to enforce a hartal.
Terming hartal the last step for protesting anything untoward, the ruling party leader urged the opposition to give up the "culture of hartal and vandalism" for the sake of development of the country'. "We hope BNP will find a peaceful political path as an alternative to hartal," said the special assistant to the prime minister.
And Delwar said people's peaceful protest programmes have been obstructed, creating "chances of foreign forces' intervention" in national politics.
They (BNP) will give fresh agitation programmes in consultation with their allies, he said. And anti-government agitations will continue until the present government is ousted, he added.
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