Ganatantra Mancha rally in city adds to opposition's momentum

Nagorik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna on Friday said that those who are in power in the country and running the state are 'vote -looters,' who came to power by "cheating the people and taking away their voting rights".

He made these remarks while speaking at a rally of Ganatantra Mancha (Platform for Democracy), an alliance of seven of the smaller opposition parties including Manna's Nagorik Oikya, in front of Sony Cinema Hall in the capital's Mirpur this afternoon.

Manna said that the BNP's rally in Khulna on Saturday will be the biggest public gathering and the government will not be able to stop it.

"They have stopped public transport in Khulna to stop huge gatherings. But people want to get back their rights. So, nothing can stop them from attending the rally," Manna said.

Zonayed Saki, chief convenor of Gono Sanghati Andolan, one of the parties in the alliance, said the government has become nervous, resorting to shooting and killing 5 activists in the last two months during rallies. "It (government) fears a mass agitation," Saki said

However, failing to stop the flow of people, the ruling party is going for 'an undeclared hartal' by stopping the public transport to the rally's destination, he added.

Nurul Haque Nur, member secretary to the Bangladesh Gono Adhikar Parishad, said the prices of daily essentials have doubled, and the government is not taking any steps to address it. "The costs involved in agricultural production are increasing day by day," he added.

He also said the farmers will suffer greatly and a food shortage will be evident unless the trend is reversed.

"The government is trying to suppress the public's protests by shooting at them," Nur added.

Mirpur zone convenor of Gono Sanghati Andolan Mahbub Ratan and organising secretary of Nagrik Oikya Shakib Anwar conducted the rally in which Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu of Bhasani Anusari Parishad, Tamal Talukdar, Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal JSD and others also spoke, reports UNB.