Political platforms, Jukto Front and Jatiya Oikya Prokriya have agreed with the BNP to move for five demands, including the release of jailed BNP chief Khaleda Zia.
The decision came from a meeting on Sunday at senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain’s residence in the capital’s Gulshan.
Led by Bikalpa Dhara chief and former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, the Jukto Front coalition consists of Mahmudur Rahman Manna’s Nagorik Oikya and ASM Abdur Rab-led ASM Abdur Rob's Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD).
A lose political platform, the Jatiya Oikya Prokriya is led by senior lawyer Dr Kamal Hossain, who leads a political party the Gano Forum.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and National Standing Committee members Moudud Ahmad and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain represented the party in Sunday’s meeting.
The four other demands are dissolving Parliament before polls, resignation of the Cabinet including the prime minister, pre and post-polls deployment of army with magistracy power, scrapping the plans to use EVMs in the election and release of those arrested over quota reform and road safety protests as well as all jailed political leaders, JSD chief Rab told the media after the meeting.
Responding to a query on BNP’s key ally Jamaat-e-Islami’s affiliation with the new coalition, Rab said, “We have an alliance with the BNP and any pro-liberation political party can join us. But we cannot say anything on who will ally with the BNP. The people of Bangladesh want us to be united to move against the incumbent autocratic regime.”
Senior BNP leader Moudud said that they have agreed on five basic demands, including the release of party chief Khaleda.
“Our greater national unity will be based on this demands,” he told the media after the meeting.