*Lack of proper leadership, dedicated activists blamed for failed movement 
*Planning to revive party men’s morale
*No harsher movement for now, only campaigns 
*Likely to stage demo on MPs’ oath-taking day 

BNP’s grassroots leaders and activists have got utterly frustrated after their party failed to foil the 12th parliamentary elections where ruling Awami League romped to a landslide victory to form the government for the fourth consecutive term.

After this failure, the party is now closely observing the post-election situation, reviewing their strategy and collecting information of alleged irregularities in voting to make political gains.

At the same time, it has decided not to take any harsher programme right now as they are waiting to see the next step of the western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

The US and UK in their instant reactions have termed the Bangladesh election as ‘not free and unfair’, saying it was marked with ‘intimidation and violence’.

“BNP is a people's party. By involving these people, we’ve taken to the streets to bring back people's rights. We’re on the streets and we’ll be we can truly hand over the rights of the people to them. That’s the promise of BNP,” BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said.

“We’ll now pay our full attention to building awareness among people about their rights. We believe in peaceful movement. Our peaceful movement will continue. After the mass-contact programme, we’ll announce our next course of action,” he added. 

Talking to the Daily Sun, at least 20 BNP leaders and activists of Barishal, Sirajganj, Pabna, Khulna and Chattogram districts said the party’s rank and file has got utterly frustrated as they failed to stop the election.

The party men are blaming lack of proper and courageous leadership and strong organisational structure as well as inappropriate political strategy for the movement’s failure. 

“Actually, our leaders and activists have lost their morale due to the failure to stop the election. Our party’s senior leaders had assured us of becoming successful in the movement. Now our party men are facing a serious disaster as many are in jail and many others are on the run to escape arrest,” a BNP central leader told the Daily Sun, wishing not to be named.

He said the party has now decided to revive the morale of the frustrated leaders and activists talking to them and assuring them that their movement has not failed as the majority of people did not go to cast their votes.

BNP sources said even though the election is over, the party has decided to continue their movement demanding resignation of the government to pave the way for holding a fresh election under a non-party government, with comparatively soft programmes in a bid to avoid government’s action.

At the same time, the party has started collection information of alleged irregularities in the election to present those before foreign embassies in Dhaka and various international organisations, including United Nations, to negatively expose the government, the sources added.

A virtual meeting of the BNP Standing Committee on Sunday night took these decisions after reviewing the overall movement and their failure and achievements, the meeting sources said.

The party will continue the soft programmes for around one and half months, the meeting sources said.

They also decided to stage demonstrations on the oath-taking day of the new cabinet and on the first day of the 12th parliament, the sources added.

BNP also decided to provide legal support for the party activists who are in jail and made accused in ‘false’ cases.

After the Standing Committee meeting, BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman held a virtual meeting with the leaders of different units and front and associate organisations on the same night and gave directives on various issues, including post-poll planning.

BNP insiders said the party has decided not to go for any harsher programme right now in a bid to rebuild the morale of the party men and reorganise it.

The party will go for soft programmes and is closely observing what step the western countries, including the US and the UK, take before taking their next political strategy.

Talking to the Daily Sun, BNP Vice-Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan said, “Our leaders and activists are not frustrated at all after the election as people spontaneously expressed no-confidence to the government. Now how we’ll utilise people’s mandate is the real matter.”