11-party long march ends demanding energy relief, July Charter execution

The Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance on Saturday concluded its Dhaka-to-Chattogram long march with a rally at Laldighi Maidan, accusing the government of failing to address the energy crisis and demanding implementation of the July Charter.
Speaking at a street rally at Mohipal in Feni, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman accused the government of “betraying the people” and warned against any attempt to revive what he called fascist rule.
“The government has started betraying the people. We can hear the footsteps of fascism. Those who seek to establish fascism anew will not have to wait for 15 years,” he said.
“We will not tolerate anyone’s arrogance. Whenever we face obstacles, we will build resistance,” he added.
Shafiqur criticised the ongoing power crisis and the pace of trials over the July mass killings.
“The power minister’s house has electricity. There is electricity in parliament, but there is no electricity in the homes of common people,” he said.
He also claimed that trials in major cases, including the Shapla Chattar and Pilkhana massacres, had yet to begin and that several cases initiated during the interim government had stalled.
Opposition chief whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nahid Islam accused the government of failing to fulfil the aspirations of the mass uprising.
“The incumbent government has failed to fulfil the aspirations of the mass uprising. It is syndicating and increasing fuel prices,” he said, warning that people would not spare the BNP if it engaged in corruption.
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed said the government lacked confidence and was not respecting the referendum verdict.
“Even though Hasina is gone, this government is running the country in her style. We are united under the leadership of Shafiqur Rahman,” he said.
Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque alleged that the government was ignoring the referendum verdict despite what he described as a popular mandate for reforms.
Jamaat Central Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said the alliance was carrying forward the movement for gas, oil and electricity and described the long march as a “human sea”.
Addressing a rally at Paduar Bazar in Cumilla earlier in the day, Shafiqur said people wanted freedom from the government, accusing it of failing to honour its pre-election promises.
He demanded the speedy implementation of the Cumilla division and called for a feasibility study on reopening Cumilla airport. He also criticised the law and order situation in the district.
He said a grand rally would be held in Dhaka after similar long marches to divisional cities.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, AB Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju, NCP Chief Coordinator for the Southern Region Sarjis Alam and Member Secretary Akhter Hossain were among the leaders who joined the long march.
The march began from Shapla Chattar in Dhaka on Saturday morning and passed through different parts of Narayanganj, Cumilla and Feni, where alliance leaders held roadside rallies before reaching Chattogram.
The alliance’s six demands include implementation of the people’s verdict in the February 12 referendum, trials of the July 2024 mass killings, resolution of the energy crisis, measures to control soaring prices of essential commodities, an end to extortion and corruption, and improvements in law and order while ending narrow partisanisation.