Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, the youth front of the main opposition Awami League, yesterday announced an action programme including a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal on Sunday 26 December in protest at rise in prices of kerosene, diesel, fertiliser and other essential commodities.

The two-week-long action programme also include a day-long token hunger strike in upazila and district headquarters on December 28 protesting the ‘unusual delay’ by the BNP-led alliance government in the investigation into the August 21 grenade attack on the anti-terrorism public rally of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and demanding immediate arrest of the perpetrators and their trial.

Pressing the same demand, Bangladesh Awami Jubo League will stage agitation programmes at upazila headquarters on January 3, at district headquarters on January 5 and as part of its central programme at the capital city on January 8.

Jahangir Kabir Nanak, chairman of Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, announced the action programme from a rally of fasting demonstrators in front of the party central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the city yesterday.

Hundreds of leaders and activists of Awami League, its front organisations as well as opposition political parties participated in the token fasting demonstration protesting the August 21 assassination attempt on Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina by hurling grenades on her public rally and demanding immediate arrest and trial of the perpetrators.

Speaking to the demonstrators, leaders of the opposition political parties and other socio-cultural bodies brought allegations against the BNP-led alliance government for masterminding the ghastly grenade attack to kill Sheikh Hasina with its ulterior motive to turn Bangladesh a new Pakistan through harbouring the anti-Liberation and fanatic forces to ruin all the achievements of the country’s great Liberation War of 1971.

They also called upon the people from all walks of life to participate in thousands in the December 30 human wall from Sunamganj to Mongla in Bagerhat district to express their united ‘no-confidence’ in the government.

By making the human wall programme a success, they said, the three-year-old government would be compelled to accept their nine-point demands including its (government) immediate resignation announcing early polls to be arranged under a non-partisan caretaker administration for installing a welfare government at the helm of state affairs.

Senior member of Awami League presidium Zillur Rahman MP and the party’s advisory council member ASHK Sadique broke the fasting offering fruit juice in the evening.

Amir Hossain Amu, Abdul Jalil, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Abdul Mannan, Alamgir Kumkum and Mohammad Selim of Awami League, Rashed Khan Menon of Workers Party of Bangladesh, Shirin Akhter of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu), Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique of Dhaka University Teachers Association, poet Mohammad Samad, Golam Kuddus of Sammilito Sangskritik Jote, Pankaj Debnath of Awami Swechchsebak League, Shafiqul Islam Khan Badal of Juba Gano Forum, Akhtaruzzaman of Jatiya Jubo Jote, Sadaquat Hossain Babu of Jubo Moitree and Mirza Azam MP, Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, Mohiuddin Ahmed Mohi, Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shaon and Mainuddin Khan Nikhil of Bangladesh Awami Jubo League and Sayeeda Tarek Dipti, one of the seriously injured in the August 21 grenade attack, spoke to the fasting demonstrators.

Later, a procession was taken out from the venue.