AL, BNP ready to face off on street

The Awami League-led government and the main opposition BNP are set for a face off on the streets while BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami's nationwide violent agitation is still going on.
BNP has decided to take to streets with programmes like hartals and road march to “protect Islam, democracy and country", two BNP policymakers told The Daily Star yesterday.
It was learnt that the other purpose of BNP's agitation is to prevent the government from taking advantage of the recent situation centring the war crimes trials.
In line with the party's strategy, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday declared a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal for Tuesday and that the BNP would hold rallies across the country today protesting the deaths in Thursday's and Friday's violence.
It urged people to take to the streets against the government.
It may even extend support for Sunday's and Monday's hartal called by ally Jamaat to protest the deaths of dozens on Thursday, BNP sources said.
The government, meanwhile, has decided to take a hard stance in containing the Jamaat violence and asked law enforcement agencies to tackle troublemakers at any cost.
The ruling Awami League-led alliance high command also directed its leaders and activists to resist the opposition agitation, particularly the violent activities carried out by Jamaat men.
"It's the last desperate attempt for their [Jamaat-Shibir] survival and the government will control any situation following the law," Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told The Daily Star Thursday.
Given the volatile situation, political observers say that street violence may flare up when the BNP starts its agitation programmes. And Jamaat men, who are now desperate to foil the war crimes trail, may use the situation as a cover to intensify their violent activities to mount pressure on the government and have its top leaders facing war crimes charges released.
"The situation may go out of control if BNP takes to the streets in the prevailing situation," said M Hafizuddin Khan, a former adviser to a caretaker government.
The two BNP policymakers said the government and Awami League-led ruling alliance would get huge political mileage if they succeed in controlling the situation.
If so, the BNP's core demand for a non-partisan government to hold the upcoming parliamentary election would be buried and the Awami League-led government would be able to remain in office during the elections, the BNP leaders said.
The BNP-led opposition alliance could be weakened if the government won the battle by controlling Jamaat, they said, adding that there was no alternative for BNP but to gear up its agitation and use the situation in its favour.
"Now, the BNP's strategy is very clear. We will not let the government win. We will do everything needed to ensure the government's defeat," a BNP policymaker said on condition of anonymity.
The policymaker termed the prevailing situation an acid taste for the BNP.
Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, a member of national standing committee of BNP, said the country was heading towards confrontation and the government was responsible for it.
"The BNP as a pro-people party will stand by the people and will gear up agitation to protest the government atrocities on people," he said.
Another BNP policymaker said the government would not be given a walkover in this situation. The government and the ruling party are trying to get the upper hand using the ongoing movement of the youth demanding death penalty for war criminals, the policymaker said after a meeting with the BNP chief.
"One road march under the leadership of the BNP chief is enough to counter the youths' movement," said the BNP policymaker, indicating that a road march would boost BNP's grassroots and drum up people's support.
According to the person, the media would focus more on the BNP agitation programmes and less on the youths' movement and the people would have another version of things going on.
The BNP had earlier opted for gearing up street agitations after holding party's national council in the middle of this month to realise its demand for a non-partisan election-time government.
The BNP policymakers said the party council might be delayed as protest programmes were urgent now.
Satisfied with BNP's strategy, some leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of the BNP-led alliance, yesterday said they would now be able to properly gear up agitation against the government.
Though the BNP extended support to Jamaat's hartal on January 31, it remained silent when Jamaat called hartals for February 4 and 5 and 18.
The BNP refrained from supporting the hartals after the youths began their Shahbagh protest on February 5. Their protest spread across the country.
The BNP did not hold the rally scheduled for February 9, under the banner of 18-party alliance. The rally was eventually held on February 18 without Jamaat taking part.
The BNP has already extended support to the ongoing agitation by some Islamic political parties.