Online Desk:  BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called for demonstration in 23 districts along with the capital Dhaka on May 19 (Friday) to press home the demand of resignation of the government. He announced the programme from a demonstration held at Nayapaltan in the capital on Saturday (May 13) afternoon.

Dhaka City South and North units of BNP organised the demonstration which was addressed by Mirza Fakhrul as the chief guest. He said Sheikh Hasina-led government will have to leave power as soon as possible. “If they (government) doesn’t leave resign voluntarily, they will be forced to do so. Demonstrations will be organised in 23 districts of the country including the capital demanding the resignation of the government,” he said.

Before joining the demonstration, the BNP secretary general went to see JSD president ASM Abdur Rab at the hospital. Later, he told journalists that their party is one of the members of ‘Ganatantra Mancha.’ “We have launched a movement along with them (JSD) to restore democracy in Bangladesh. We hope that he will recover soon and extend his cooperation providing his leadership. He will also contribute to free the people from the shackles of misrule. We consider this movement as the movement for freedom. We are hopeful that he (ASM Rab) will be able to give his leadership in the struggle for democracy as he gave leadership in the War of Independence in 1971,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ganatantra Mancha held a rally on Saturday in front of the Press Club to press home its 14-point demands including the next general election under an interim government and reform of the constitution.  Speaking at the rally, Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna said ‘tall talks’ by head of the government have stopped after returning home from Japan, USA and UK.

“The prime minister can’t tell people what she had achieved from his tours. The prime minister’s tall talks have already stopped. It will go down further. At one stage, her voice will stop completely. We have taken that step. The prime minister went to Japan, America and England on a 15-day tour,” he said.