New Delhi: The Awami League, the party led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has called for a series of protests in February, demanding the resignation of the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The party accuses the government of “oppressing” the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.
This announcement marks the first major public demonstration by the Awami League since the fall of Hasina’s government on August 5 last year, following a student-led anti-discrimination movement.
Since then, many of the party’s leaders have either been arrested or gone into hiding.
In a statement released on the Awami League’s official Facebook page, the party outlined a series of actions to begin on February 1.
These include street protests aimed at pressuring the interim government to step down, as well as strike and blockade initiatives.
The statement specified that party members would distribute leaflets and conduct awareness campaigns from Saturday through Wednesday.
Protests are scheduled to take place nationwide on February 6, followed by rallies on February 10.
A countrywide blockade has been planned for February 16, with a full-day strike, set to last from dawn to dusk, scheduled for February 18.
Despite the Awami League being ousted from power, the statement continued to refer to Sheikh Hasina as the “Prime Minister.”
It also called for the dismissal of murder charges and other allegations against Hasina and other party leaders at the International Crimes Tribunal, describing the legal proceedings against them as “farcical trials.”
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The Awami League had previously planned a protest for November 10, but the initiative failed to materialise.
Since the collapse of Hasina’s government, the party has remained largely inactive, with the former prime minister fleeing to India following the uprising.
This new wave of protests, blockades, rallies, and strikes represents the Awami League’s latest attempt to reassert itself in the political landscape of Bangladesh.
