BNP, allies go for oust-govt movement

The BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance last night decided to go for "one-point movement” to overthrow the government, sources said.
Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component in the alliance, however, would carry on its ongoing movement demanding release of its top leaders facing war crimes charges.
The decision was made at an hour-long meeting of the alliance with BNP chief Khaleda Zia in the chair at her Gulshan office last night.
Meeting sources told The Daily Star that it was the BNP chief who actually proposed waging a one-point movement under the banner of 18-party alliance to topple the government, a top leader of a component of the alliance said.
"Leaders of the 18-party alliance welcomed the BNP chief's proposal saying that the alliance should have gone for such movement a long time ago," the leader told The Daily Star requesting anonymity.
"In reply, she [Khaleda Zia] said, 'let's forget the past and work for the future'," the leader said.
The meeting also decided to take up tougher programmes in the coming days.
Emerging from yesterday's meeting, National Democratic Party chief Shawkat Hossain Nilu told The Daily Star that today's countrywide daylong hartal would be enforced by the 18-party alliance, instead of just the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
The BNP had called the hartal after its rally in front of its Naya Paltan head office was foiled yesterday afternoon. Jamaat called for the hartal today minutes later.
The last meeting of the opposition alliance was held on January 28.