BNP had no backup plan for its anti-govt movement
Some grassroots leaders say; Rizvi says movement to continue
With the election now over and the new government formed, some grassroots BNP leaders think things would have been much different had the party high-ups had an alternative plan for their anti-government movement.
However, they believe that the key success of their movement is that most people boycotted the election despite government efforts to ensure high turnouts. According to them, the comparatively low turnout of 41.8 percent has raised questions about how participatory the January 7 election was.
The party enforced hartals, blockades, and non-cooperation movements to press home its one-point demand but could not materialise the demand for installation of an interim administration to oversee the election.
The government rather cornered the opposition party through pressure, arrest, and in some cases hasty conviction of top and mid-ranking BNP leaders in thousands of political cases, party leaders said.
According to BNP data, more than 25,000 BNP leaders and activists have been sent to jail since October 28 when the party's Dhaka rally was foiled by police.
"We lost the game on October 28 when we had to leave the street in the face of police action. Our leaders did not have any backup plan and that's why our movement was not organised," said a BNP leader from a northern district.
The Daily Star spoke with seven district BNP leaders and several other leaders of its front and associate organisations outside Dhaka, and they all shared similar sentiments.
"Party leaders and activists are charged up and our movement will continue till the goal is achieved."
In the coming days, the party should take realistic and effective programmes with multiple backup plans to drive home their demand, they said.
They added that many senior leaders did not take to the streets as expected during their street programmes, while some others went into hiding fearing arrests.
"Our movement would have gathered a better momentum if the senior leaders were present on the street. The Awami League took advantage of this, and formed the government," said a senior leader from Gazipur.
But it is a success for BNP that the election has been called "controversial" and "dummy" at home and abroad, he added.
The grassroots leaders The Daily Star spoke to also said their Dhaka city units failed to wage a tough movement required to force the government to meet their demand.
The Dhaka city BNP leaders mostly held some flash processions, and sent the photos and videos of these programmes to their top leaders for their own publicity.
However, central BNP leaders said despite government repression, all the party leaders and supporters worked for the movement.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said every movement has its phases before the final outcome.
It took 200 years to oust the British from this land, but there were many movements in between, he said, adding, "Party leaders and activists are charged up and our movement will continue till the goal is achieved."