The Anti-Fascist and Anti-War Alliance on Monday called on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government to scrap the ‘unequal’ trade deal signed with the United States by the immediate past interim government.

A five-member delegation of the alliance, a combine of 13 political parties, handed over a memorandum to Jatiya Sangsad speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed at his office.

In the memorandum they called on the speaker to take steps to scrap the deal by April 30, after parliamentary discussions on the deal.

Earlier about 12 noon, leaders and activists of the alliance held a rally in front of the National Press Club with Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz in chair, after which they started marching towards the parliament.

Upon reaching the South Gate of the parliament premises in Asad Gate area about 2:30pm, they held another brief rally before sending a five-member delegation to meet the speaker and hand him the memorandum.

In its memorandum, the alliance, while alleging that the trade deal was exploitative and exclusively favouring the US, said that lawmakers should give their opinions against the deal.

The combine warned of announcing tougher movement if the deal was not scrapped by April 30.

As part of the movement they would hold countrywide demonstrations on May 3 and conduct representative meetings in divisional cities on May 4 and 5, the rally heard.

The movement would take stronger turn if the deal was not eventually scrapped by November 9, the leaders announced at the second rally near the South Gate of the parliament premises after handing the memorandum to the speaker.

General secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh Abdullah Al Kafee Ratan, coordinator of  Bangladesher Samyabadi Andolan Shuvrangshu Chakrobartty, general secretary of  Bangladesh Jasod Nazmul Haque Prodhan, general secretary of Revolutionary Communist League Iqbal Kabir Jahid, general secretary of Democratic Revolutionary Party Mushrefa Mishu, coordinator of Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist) Masud Rana, coordinator  of Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Mahboob) Harun-ur-Rashid Bhuiyan, convener of Gonomukti Union Nasiruddin Nasu, president of Sonar Bangla Party Syed  Harun-or- Rashid, acting coordinator of Gonofront Rajat Huda, general secretary of Socialist Party Shahidul Islam and acting president of Samajtantrik Party Abdul Ali spoke at the rally.