Opposition long march ends in Chattagram; Shafiqur accuses govt of political crisis, betrayal

Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday accused the government of creating the ongoing political crisis and betraying the nation.

“You (the government) forced us to take to the streets. We did not want to come to the streets with these demands. We wanted fascism to be buried and the issues to be resolved inside parliament,” he said while addressing a rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram.

The rally marked the conclusion of the Dhaka-Chattogram long march organised by the Jamaat-led 11-party opposition alliance.

“Before the national election, both the ruling party and we (the opposition) urged people to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum. We said that if ‘Yes’ won, we would implement the verdict of the referendum. The BNP and we said the same thing. Now, six months after the election, has the BNP kept its word?” Shafiqur asked.

Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed presided over the concluding rally.

Oli said the 11-party alliance members are the “true friends” of the prime minister, alleging that those surrounding the prime minister would ultimately destroy him and his government.

“Many governments came before, but never have we heard people saying within just six months that ‘this government won’t last’. But this time, everyone is saying that this government will not last long,” Oli said.

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam said the opposition alliance was not paving the way for the return of the fallen dictatorship; rather, he alleged, the ruling party was doing so.

“People are in distress. Our long march is to listen to them and speak for them,” he said.

“If you (Prime Minister) cannot solve the problems created by the fallen dictatorship, then admit it before the people. Admit that you cannot resolve them alone. Admit that you do not have a proper plan to lead the country. Sit with the opposition. If the opposition does not cooperate, you cannot govern this country,” Nahid added.

The long march began from Shapla Chattar in Motijheel, Dhaka, following a rally held there at around 7am.

The six-point demands of the long march include implementation of the people’s verdict in the February 12 referendum; trial of those responsible for the July 2024 mass killings; resolution of the multidimensional energy crisis; measures to control soaring prices of essential commodities; an end to extortion and corruption and improvement of the law-and-order situation; and an end to narrow partisanisation.

On its way to Chattogram, the alliance held several roadside rallies, including in Narayanganj, Cumilla and Feni.