Opposition beefs up oust-govt campaign

This winter is warming up with the renewed permutation and combination among the political parties wanting to see an early exit of the government.

The Awami League's recent call for an early quitting of the BNP-led alliance government by April next year, much ahead of the five-year tenure, triggered immediate polarisation in the opposition political camp.

In an apparent run-up to a greater unified movement against the government, three left-leaning political parties joined hands with the main opposition for a showdown in January.

A coordination committee of AL, Hasanul Haq Inu-led Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and the Workers Party (WP) met at the latter's office yesterday to chalk out the combined programme.

As a starter, these four parties have planned to hold a national convention in early January to vent public wrath against, what the organisers dubbed, marginalisation of the Union Parishad by pitting it against the Gram Sarkar.

AL and its newly found friends in the left-block yesterday finalised a schedule for holding greater preparatory meeting next month so that the convention could be convened in early January.

On December 19 representatives of the Union Parishads from across the country would join leaders of AL, JSD (Inu), CPB and WP in the city to finalise the convention schedule and the oust-government programme.

Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, JSD leader Hasanul Haq Inu, CPB leaders Monjurul Ahsan Khan and Mujahidul Islam Selim and WP leader Rashed Khan Menon would join the January convention, which many consider would be a turning point in the current spate of disjointed anti-government movement.

Members of the Coordination Committee told The Daily Star yesterday that they would ensure participation of elected chairmen and members as well as candidates who had contested unsuccessfully in the last UP election.

Sources said, to kick-start a greater unified movement against the BNP-Jamaat -led government, the four mainstream opposition parties were trying to exploit the deep-rooted grudge of the UP leadership against the way government constituted Gram Sarkar undermining the capacity and power of the Union Parishad.

Yesterday's meeting of the Coordination Committee was held within a week of the Awami League's call for an early changeover in government.

Briefing newsmen in the city on November 4, the party General Secretary Abdul Jalil called the BNP- led alliance government to step down by March-April next year paving the way for, what he said, installation of a democratic government in the country.

The very following day while having Iftar with journalists, prior to leaving the city on a weeklong visit to China, Sheikh Hasina went one step ahead to say it would be better if the changeover comes even earlier.

Akhtaruzzaman of AL, Abdullahil Quayyum of JSD (Inu), Ruhin Hossain Prince of CPB and Fazle Hossain Badsha of WP represented their parties in the Coordination Committee meeting held at the Workers Party office yesterday.

JSD (Inu) chief Hasanul Haq Inu told The Daily Star yesterday that 'formation of an Oikkya Front (united front) was a compulsory agenda now to oust the alliance government that gave rise to armed fundamentalism in the country.'

He foresees eventual formation of a 'National Government' after the ouster of the BNP-led alliance from power.

AL Organising Secretary, Akhtaruzzaman, who attended yesterday's meeting, told this correspondent that the process of a unified movement was underway. He hoped that the upcoming national convention would 'stir the public mind tormented by the misrule of the government.'

Abdullahil Quayyum, also involved in the negotiations, expected that leaders of other opposition parties in the left-leaning 11-party conglomerate would join the unified opposition platform eventually.