Fear of being framed keeps BNP off tough demo

The BNP is now unlikely to go for programmes like hartals and blockades, fearing those may not yield the desired results and any violence could lead to fingers being pointed at the party.

The party is more likely to stick to mass contact to discourage voters from casting votes until the eve of election day when it plans to call a two-day hartal, said party insiders.

The BNP had a plan to go for non-stop hartals or blockades from today, but it now thinks such programmes may frustrate party activists as those may turn out to be ineffective.

It also believes that the ruling party is planning to frame the BNP for violence.

BNP standing committee members held a four-hour meeting on Sunday night and discussed the political situation. Party's organising secretaries also joined the virtual meeting.

Sources said the BNP does not want to give the ruling party any opportunity to frame the BNP in acts of sabotage or any violent activities.

One BNP leader cited Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader's recent comment that the "BNP was planning to kill an important leader or a candidate before the polls" and said it was a sign that the AL was planning to implicate the BNP in crimes.

"That's why we have so far decided not to go for any programme which may instigate violence. Considering the overall political situation, most of the party members have opined for moving forward very carefully with patience," said a standing committee member of the party.

During the meeting, many BNP leaders said a quarter was trying to portray the BNP as a criminal organisation and that hartals and blockades could end up giving that group more ammunition.

They said 27,000 leaders and activists, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, are in jail and tough programmes could result in more arrests of party activists.

"Peaceful programmes like distributing leaflets to discourage voters is the best way ... ," said a BNP organising secretary.

The BNP has extended its mass contact programme until Friday to encourage people not to vote.

Party leaders said their campaign to get people to reject the polls results and movement for election under a non-partisan interim government will continue.

"Our movement will continue till democratic rights are restored and people's voting rights are given back to them," said Abdul Moyeen Khan, a BNP standing committee member.

BNP leaders believe that people will not show up at the polling stations and will boycott the "staged election". They expect a turnout of less than 10 percent unless voters are threatened and made to go to polling stations.

They believe the election will not be acceptable to the international community.

Since July 12, the BNP has been pushing ahead with its one-point demand -- polls under a non-partisan interim government. After its October 28 rally, the BNP had called hartals and blockades four days a week.

Realising that hartals and blockades had become ineffective, the BNP began the mass contact programme on December 24.