Leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance said this afternoon that the large turnout along the route of their Dhaka-Chattogram long march showed that the foundations of the BNP-led government had begun to shake.
Addressing a roadside rally in Mirsarai, Chattogram, alliance leaders said that the government had failed to provide relief to people struggling with soaring commodity prices and acute shortages of electricity, gas and fertiliser, and was now trying to cling to power through political schemes such as the "Family Card" and "Farmer Card".
Mia Golam Porwar, secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, said while the administration relies on these cards, the ultimate authority rests with the public. "The government may hold two cards, but the people hold the ‘red card’. The public will show this government the ‘red card’ very soon," he remarked.
Criticising the ruling party’s performance, Porwar said instead of addressing severe national shortages of electricity, gas, and fertiliser, the party in power remains engrossed in extortion, land grabbing, and looting.
Porwar recalled that the prime minister had visited northern districts to campaign for a "yes" vote in the referendum.
"We believe he voted 'yes' himself. Why is he now denying his own vote?" Porwar questioned.
Also speaking at the rally, National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary termed the BNP government "inefficient and ineffective," accusing it of replicating the authoritarian behaviour of the ousted regime.
“The party [BNP], which was crowned champion in corruption from 2001 to 2006, has once again plunged into widespread graft,” he said.
Shafiqur Rahman, ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, said the public demands immediate solutions to utility shortages, full implementation of the referendum outcome and the July Charter, and justice for the July killings.
"This government shows no intention of fulfilling these demands. The public must prepare for a political struggle," he said.
The long march began from Shapla Chattar in Dhaka at around 8:30am today, to press home several demands, including implementation of the referendum's mandate and the July Charter, justice for victims of the July killings, resolving severe shortages of electricity, oil, gas, and fertiliser, curbing the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, ending extortion and corruption, and improving the overall law and order situation.
The march covered several pre-designated stops along the highway, holding rallies at the Kanchpur Bridge truck stand in Narayanganj, Poduar Bazar Bishwa Road in Cumilla, Mohipal in Feni, and Chattogram’s Mirsarai.
