The ruling Awami League is keeping an eye on the steps being taken by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, especially after the party held a series of meetings with its key leaders towards a collective opposition movement ahead of the next general elections in 2023.

Several AL leaders told New Age that they had got a clear message that the BNP was preparing for an anti-government movement at a time when the AL was trying to motivate all political parties to prepare for the next jatiya sangsad polls.

An AL presidium member said that their party had some plans to counter the BNP if they announced any street movement.

‘There is no doubt whatsoever that we are quite organised and are much more capable than BNP. If they [BNP] try to mobilise opposition parties under an umbrella for a movement we will invite all progressive parties to join us on condition of sharing power,’ said the AL presidium member.

The AL leader said that the AL would try to continue the election system at any cost to keep the ‘development activities’ uninterrupted.

AL joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim said that the Awami League would politically face every step the BNP would take.

`If they [BNP] try to mobilise radical Islamic groups we will politically resist them,’ he said, adding that the AL will, however, welcome every democratic movement.

‘But, destruction of public properties in the name of movement will not be allowed,’ he emphasised.

The AL, he went on, is keeping an eye on the steps of the BNP, because the track record of the party is not good.

`They had unleashed massive violence in the name of movement before the general election in 2014,’ he added.

Several AL leaders confirmed that the issue would be discussed in today’s meeting of its secretaries.

In a press release, the AL said that a meeting of the party’s secretaries would be held at 10:30am today at the party’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, who will chair the meeting, requested all concerned to attend the meeting in due time by maintaining proper health guidelines.

Earlier, on Thursday night, after the conclusion of the BNP’s series of three-day policy-level meetings, secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters that the party central leaders would work out the party’s next course of action ahead of the 12th parliamentary elections.

‘We have already had meetings on three consecutive days. Our standing committee will meet on Saturday [today] where we will decide whether we should hold a few more meetings,’ said Fakhrul.

He said that they still could not sit with some members of their national executive committee. ‘We do also have a plan to hold meetings with the district-level presidents and secretaries of our party.’

Fakhrul said that the BNP had also a plan to sit with the leaders of different professional bodies. ‘If our standing committee takes a [positive] decision in this regard, we will hold such meetings.’

The BNP top leaders had meetings with BNP vice-chairmen and advisory council members on Tuesday, with joint secretaries general, organising secretaries, assistant organising secretaries and secretaries on Wednesday and with the leaders of its front organisations on Thursday.