Opposition to call hartal for Sunday

The main opposition Awami League (AL) and its left-leaning allies are likely to call a dawn-to-dusk hartal across the country on September 11, demanding withdrawal of the latest fuel price hike.

The decision to enforce a hartal, also to protest price spiral of essentials, was taken at a joint meeting of leaders of the AL, 11-party alliance, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) and National Awami Party.

An announcement on the proposed shutdown will be made today, a senior opposition leader said after the meeting held at the Gono Forum office.

Earlier in the day, an emergency meeting of the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) decided in principle to go for a hartal, and asked party leaders to fix the date in consultation with other opposition parties.

AL chief Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting at the party's Dhanmondi office.

Replying a query, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil told reporters that the party will not join the parliament session that begins tomorrow, and continue its boycott of the House.

"This government has increased fuel price for the eighth time, and the price is now almost double that during the Awami League rule. This will hit the low and middle-income people hard, and it will also increase inflation," Jalil said referring to discussions at the ALCWC meeting.

On the two-day weekly holiday announced by the government, the meeting pointed out that the previous AL government had introduces this system but the BNP and its allies in the opposition had staged demonstrations against it.

Demanding an explanation from the prime minister about the August 17 bomb blasts, the meeting in a resolution said, "Despite a commitment, the prime minister has not addressed the nation on the bomb blasts as her party itself was involved in it. She has nothing to tell the nation as her own people are the culprits."

The ALCWC welcomed the recent High Court verdict declaring martial law regimes illegal.

It called for building up resistance against government 'repression' on opposition leaders and activists, terrorist activities and price hike of fuel and essentials.