Dhaka, May 17 (UNB) - BNP and its allies at a meeting on Thursday night decided not to call any hartal for the time being , but BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will lead the 18-party`s mass hunger strike in the capital on May 20.  

The meeting also decided to stick k to the alliance’s  previous decision of staging three-day nationwide demonstration starting on May 20 and ending o May 27.

The meeting was held at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office with Khaleda Zia in the chair.

Reliable sources at the meeting said the alliance leaders arrived at a decision that for the time being they will not call general strike but the decision will be revised if the government continues to behave badly with the opposition leaders and workers.

All the leaders of the 18-party alliance bestowed the authority on BNP chief Khaleda Zia for taking any decision on the next course of their current anti-government movement.

The sources confirmed that 18-party alliance leader Khaleda will lead their mass hunger strike in the capital.

When the meeting was going on, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan at a press conference announced afresh the 3-day programmes which were also announced on Tuesday.

Nazrul  Islam Khan said the mass hunger strike will be observed simultaneously in the capital, other cities, divisional headquarters and district towns in the country on May 20.

The alliance on May 23 will submit a memorandum at the offices of Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and UNOs across the country demanding that fair prices of farmers' produces be ensured and also protesting the soaring prices of agricultural inputs, he said.

On May 27, it will stage demonstrations in divisional and district headquarters throughout the country protesting the government’s misrule, corruption and politicisation of everything, including government and other bodies, he added.

The BNP chairperson held the meeting with the top leaders of the 18-party to discuss the next course of action after reviewing today’s nationwide shutdown enforced by BNP and its allies in protest against the arrests of the alliance`s top leaders on Wednesday.

The meeting lasted for over one hour from 8:45 pm. 

Earlier, Nazrul Islam Khan at a press conference at the party’s central office at 5:10 pm said that the alliance leaders will sit together in the evening and decide its next course of action to be announced on Friday.