Nayapaltan turns into human sea as BNP holds anti-govt grand rally
Staff Reporter :
To press home its one-point demand for resignation of the incumbent government and forming an election-time neutral government, the main opposition party BNP has declared sit-in programmes at four entry points of Dhaka city on Saturday.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the party’s fresh agitation programme as the chief guest at his party’s grand rally in the capital’s Nayapaltan area on Friday.
The sit-in programme will take place from 11:00am to 4:00pm. The points are Donia college adjacent area, at Nayabazar Yusuf Marker area, opposition side of BNS center at Uttara, and at Gabtoli SA Khaleque Bus stand.
Like minded 37 other political parties including Ganatantra Mancha and12-party alliance which are involved with BNP’s simultaneous movement, also announced the same programme.
Apart from the one-point demand, Mirza Fakhrul also demanded immediate release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and other imprisoned political leaders and withdraw ‘false case’ against BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Tarique Rahman, who is staying in the UK for long, addressed the Nayapaltan grand rally virtually.
Defying all barriers, thousands of BNP leaders, activists and supporters have attended the Friday’s grand rally. The meeting venue Nayapaltan and its surrounding areas virtually turned into a human sea with jubilant BNP activists raising various slogans against the government.
The BNP Secretary General said the government has filed cases against 40 lakh leaders and activists of his party across the country. He said the arrest and harassment spree is still going on against them.
The chief guest asserted that the government would not be able to stop the ongoing movement by conducting arrest spree against the party men.
“You (govt) could not stop our agitation for restoring democracy by arresting and harassing our party leaders and activists,” Mirza Fakhrul said.
He said this government has destroyed everything of the country with its misrule.
“Every sector of the country has been destroyed. People’s rights have been taken away.
People’s lives have become miserable due to the constant price hikes of essential commodities,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul said, “The government has established one-party rule in the country and destroyed the justice system which was the last shelter for the oppressed people.”
He said, “Today we need to build a prosperous Bangladesh. For this, 36 parties have launched a movement together. Others who have not joined the movement are also saying that fair elections are not possible under this government.”
Mirza Fakhrul said the BNP plans to form a national government with all the parties that have joined its one-point movement to oust the ruling government.
“We will form a national government with all the parties involved in the movement,” he said.
He continued, “This government wants to use the judiciary and the administration to hold farce elections again.”
“Sanctions from a foreign country have been imposed against many people, including the RAB, for the misdeeds of the government, which is a shame for our country,” he said.
Demanding the release of the detained party leaders, the BNP Secretary General said, “I want to tell the police administration not to act on the illegal orders of the illegal government.
Obey the rule of law. Do not arrest anyone wrongfully as per the directives of illegal government.”
BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas presided over the grand rally.
Mirza Abbas said police have arrested more than 1000 activists from different city hotels to foil the grand rally.
He said, “If the government wants to stop the people’s movement it has only way to resign fast.”
The party’s Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy urged the party leaders and activists attending the rally in Dhaka not to leave the city before realising its one point demand.
“The government’s time is running out. We must act decisively; there’s no time to wait,” the BNP leader proclaimed passionately to the party men.
Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said, “There is no internet in our assembly today. Those who have blocked the internet are the lackeys of the vote-stealing government. They are being recognized.”
He said, “Sheikh Hasina is no more, Sheikh Hasina has no other option but to pack her bags and run away, Sheikh is no longer in power.”
Pointing to the US congressmen’s latest letter on the state of democracy in Bangladesh, BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the current government had run out of both in time and avenues.
“Fourteen US congressmen have asked that Bangladesh should not be included in the UN Peace Missions if Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina doesn’t resign,” Rizvi said.
Though the rally was scheduled to begin at 2:00pm, the party leaders and activists in hundreds began to arrive at the rally venue from early in the morning.
Defying senior leaders’ instructions, several thousand activists thronged Naya Paltan area on Thursday night and stayed there overnight.
Visiting the rally venue at about 11:30am on Friday, it was seen that thousands of party leaders and activists from different parts of the city arriving with processions.
Carrying banners, festoons, placards and portraits of the party’s top leaders, they were shouting anti-government slogans.
Roads and alleys stretching from Bijoynagar to Nayapaltan were crowded with BNP activists, halting traffic in the area.
Many leaders and activists of the party alleged that they had to face checking by police at the entry points and other places in the capital.
The party made a big stage on nine trucks, rolled out red carpets, and installed loudspeakers.