The anti-government movement of BNP now takes turn into an anti-state act as the party chief in exile has made a call for non-cooperation, opined political analysts.
BNP’s acting chairman Tareque Rahman, who is a convict by the court and staying in London for over a decade to avert arrest and using the laws of foreign land, made the call of non-cooperation on Wednesday through a video conference.
In his non-cooperation call, Tarique directed his party fellows not to pay taxes to the state, not to pay the utility bills and even for not being appeared before the courts in the hearing of any case.
He made the call after the miserable failures of anti-government movement sponsored by BNP and its allies.
Talking to Bangladesh Post on Wednesday, political analysts opined that there is no reality in the country for practicing of any non-cooperation movement.
They warned that if BNP finally tries to practice such act alongside destructive activities in the name of politics, it will be the last nail on the coffin for BNP itself.
Leading political analyst Major General (Rtd) Md Abdur Rashid said, “When a political party does not come to the light, they have to take such type of hasty program to gear up their frustrated leaders.”
“We saw that BNP could not be able to bring people to the streets during its programmes like hartal or blockade. I do not think that BNP will get people to support their call to practice the non-cooperation movement”, the retired senior army officer said. He said, people will never and ever respond to the anti-state call of BNP. He further said,
“When the politics of a party ends and falls into the ditch, the party has to take such types of illogical step to come out of the political ditch.”
Otherwise, their activists and supporters will fall into deep frustration, he said adding that its only to remove the growing frustration of the BNP leaders and supporters.
“I personally think that there is no base of declaring the non-cooperation movement”, the internationally renowned security expert went on.
Responding to a question, he said, it’s definitely could be termed an anti-state act and the state should handle such typed of activities as per state the law.
After announcing the party's non-cooperation movement in a virtual press conference on Wednesday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi called upon the party's leaders and activists not to appear in court over any case. He further urged the people not to cooperate with the government by not paying taxes and bills of water, gas, electricity and other utility services.
Air Cdr (Retd.) Ishfaq Elahi Chowdhury, another leading political analyst said, “When such situation prevails in the country, there is no need to call for launching any non-cooperation movement. We saw it from the historic education movement in 1962 during Pakistani ruler.”
“But there is no such situation in Bangladesh at present, he said adding, if there is any such situation, drivers will not run their buses and station mangers will not go to the railway stations. Everything will be shut down automatically.”
He also said, “If workers do not go to the factories, factories will be closed. But there is no such situation exist in Bangladesh at present.”
Talking about BNP’s call for not to pay taxes to the state as part of the non-cooperation movement, the leading political observer said, “People who is calling for non-cooperation movement, you will see that, he himself had paid the government taxes duly.”
“During Ershad regime, we saw the example of non-cooperation when vehicle movement remained halted completely. But now mass people are not participating in the BNP’s movement. Vehicle movement remain completely normal, metro rail working as usually, all shops remain open”, he said.
He clearly opined that BNP’s latest call of non-cooperation movement will not work at all.
BNP has been trying to unseat the government and demanding a caretaker government. But this movement has already lost momentum.
In such a situation, the party that does not have the ability to continue an ordinary movement. So, how BNP will make the non-cooperation movement a success, they asked.