After observing the black flag procession in Dhaka and other metropolitan cities, the major opposition BNP has announced another nationwide black flag procession programme for 30 January to press home their demands, including the dissolution of the current parliament.
BNP and its associate wings’ leaders and activists brought out a black flag procession in the capital on Saturday afternoon demanding the release of party chairperson Khaleda Zia, leaders and activists from jail.

The programme is also meant to protest against price hikes of essential commodities.
BNP’s Dhaka north and south city jointly started the black flag procession from in front of the party’s central office in Nayapaltan in the capital.
Thousands of leaders and activists carrying black flags from different parts of the capital and adjacent districts, such as Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Gazipur, etc joined the procession, led by BNP Standing Committee Members Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Abdul Moyeen Khan.

They chanted various slogans against the 7 January election terming it an “unacceptable, farcical and dummy” which was boycotted by the BNP and its allies.
While addressing the inauguration rally of the procession, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy announced that the party would take out black flag processions in the district, upazila, and municipality levels, demanding a fresh general election under a non-party and neutral government on 30 January, the day of the first session of the 12th parliament.
Earlier, BNP leaders and activists from different areas started gathering in front of the party office in the morning and the procession started at 2pm.
 “You [BNP men] along with people will stage protests against this government by bringing out the black flag procession. We should not be satisfied with this black flag procession not remain idle rather we have to continue the movement,” he said.

BNP policymakers said, “The incumbent government is not the people’s government. The prime minister has collected the certificates of the ‘election’ from foreign countries, including China, India and Russia. However, those certificates do not legitimise you [government] as the certificates have not been given by the people of the country.”
Another Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan said, “We have come to the streets to ring the farewell bell of this unrepresentative government. These black flags will compel the government, which is isolated from people, to resign from power and lose into the dark.”

BNP Vice Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan said the 7 January general election has proved that people do not want this government. “It is a parliament without any representation of people.”
“If our party leaders and activists perform their duties properly, the government will be forced to dissolve this parliament and hold a new election in a few days,” he added.
This was the first street programme of the BNP since the 28 October rally in Dhaka city, which was foiled by clashes between party men and law enforcers.
Then the BNP observed harsher movements, including hartal and blockade, for more than two months but failed to stop the 7 January general election.
The BNP’s allies, including the 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Shamamana Jote, Gano Forum, People’s Party of Bangladesh, Liberal Democratic Party and AB Party will also hold programmes in the capital on the same issues.
However, two major allies of the BNP – Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Ganatantra Manch – did not observe the programme simultaneously.