Opposition threatens tougher anti-govt agitation

"The sit-in programme is our final agitation. The country will witness a Kansat like situation if the government tries to prevent the programme from succeeding," AL Acting General Secreatry Obaidul Quader told The Daily Star.

Speaking at a meeting at AL's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue he said, "The country will not be under the control of four-party alliance government if barricades are set up on that day. People will take to the streets to bring down the regime," he added.

The opposition has taken measurers to make the sit-in successful. They are organising rallies at eight constituencies of the capital, meetings with leaders of different districts adjacent to Dhaka and city wards to mobilise around two lakh people.

They will also exchange views in meetings with the Peshajibi Samonnay Parishad (a combine of different professional bodies), transport owners and workers and its different front organisations in a bid to gather people for a large showdown around the PMO on April 19.

At a meeting presided over by the city 14-party co-ordinator Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya yesterday the combine leaders decided to hold a meeting with the leaders of different districts adjacent to Dhaka today.

They also decided to hold meetings with the transport owners and workers on April 12 and its different front organisations on April 13 and a view exchange meeting with the Peshajibi Samonnay Parishad on April 15. It will also hold meetings with its different thana and ward level leaders separately.

"If the government tries to foil the sit-in, we will obviously declare tougher programmes," said a senior opposition leader.

"We will force the four-party alliance government to realise the opposition's proposed reforms in the caretaker government and the Election Commission (EC) through the demonstration on April 19," Quader told The Daily Star after the meeting.

He apprehended nothing tangible would come from dialogue with the ruling parties when the prime minister is saying there is no need for reforms as the caretaker government and the EC are neutral bodies.

Talking to The Daily Star Maya, also general secretary of the city unit AL, said they would take all out measures to make the programme successful. "We will observe our sit-in programme peacefully, and if the government tries to foil the programme, tougher movements would be declared soon after the programme," Maya added.

Fourteen-party leaders including Bimal Biswas, Dilip Barua, Syed Zafor Sazzad, MA Gani, Quamrul Ahsan, Mostafa Mohsin Montu, Hazi Mohammad Selim attended the meeting.