AL announces a month-long campaign in February calling for Yunus' resignation

The Awami League (AL) has announced a month-long protest program for February, featuring leaflet distribution, rallies, processions, blockades, and a general strike, all aimed at demanding the resignation of interim government chief adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus. 

The protest schedule includes leaflet distribution from February 1 to February 5, rallies and processions on February 6 and February 10, a road blockade on February 16, and a nationwide dawn-to-dusk general strike on February 18. This announcement was made by the AL on its verified Facebook page late Tuesday night. The protest comes at a time when many senior leaders of the AL are either imprisoned or in hiding, after being ousted from power following a student-led mass uprising on August 5, 2024. 

The AL, which refers to the interim government as "illegal and unconstitutional," stated that the protests will address issues such as attacks on religious and national minorities, the rising costs of essential goods, the detention of thousands of AL leaders and activists, as well as murders and enforced disappearances. The party is also demanding the release of all political prisoners. 

In alignment with the AL's program, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the AL, has also announced a month-long protest for February, calling for Yunus' resignation to restore democracy. Their protest schedule includes leaflet distribution from February 1 to February 5, rallies and processions on February 6, another protest rally on February 10, blockades of roads, railways, waterways, airways, and ports on February 16, and a dawn-to-dusk strike on February 18. The announcement was made in a press release signed by BCL president Saddam Hossain and general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan.

Shafiqul Alam, the chief adviser’s press secretary, responded by stating that the AL would not be permitted to hold any protests until justice is served for the killings that occurred during the July-August uprising. He further demanded that the AL apologize to the nation for these deaths. Alam claimed that the interim government represented the people of Bangladesh and vowed not to allow any efforts to incite violence. He warned that any protests by the AL would be met with a strong response from the public, emphasizing that the party must face trial for the killings and apologize if it wishes to continue its political activities in Bangladesh.

Alam also criticized the AL for not denouncing the killings, asking why no AL leaders had publicly rejected the violence allegedly ordered by Sheikh Hasina. 

The Yunus-led interim government assumed power on August 8, 2024, three days after the AL regime was overthrown, and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India. According to government data, the July-August uprising resulted in 834 deaths. The AL previously came to power in 2009 through a general election, and later faced accusations of election manipulation in 2014 and 2018, with similar allegations surrounding the 2024 general election.