BNP holds huge rally in Sylhet

Staff Reporter with Sylhet Bureau :
Thousands of leaders and activists of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) joined the party’s seventh divisional mass rally at the Alia Madrasah ground in Sylhet city on Saturday, defying transport strikes called throughout the division.
The mass rally began at 11:30am, an hour before the scheduled time, with the recitation from the holy Quran by District Ulama Party President Nurul Haque.
Sylhet District BNP President Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury chaired the rally, while Sylhet Mahanagar Mahila Dal President Roksana Begum Shahnaz delivered the opening speech at the rally, moderated by Sylhet district BNP General Secretary Emran Ahmad Chowdhury and Member Secretary of Sylhet metropolitan BNP Miftah Siddiqui.
Besides, organisers kept a chair empty on the main rally stage for former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, convicted over corruption charges, as a symbolic gesture.
Speaking at the rally, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down, handing over power to a neutral polls time government.
“There will be no election in the country without a caretaker government. Sheikh Hasina must resign. An interim government and impartial election commission should be formed,” said Fakhrul, adding that those who will oppose this stand will be branded as public enemies. “The Prime Minister keeps showing excuses of the
Constitution whenever we demand a caretaker government. But she was the one who amended this Constitution to drop the provision. We do not accept this Constitution,” he added.
He said, “Our demand is one- the fall of this government. And it will be decided on the streets.”
 Urging all parties to be united against the Awami League (AL) government, Fakhrul said, “Let us be united like ’71. Let’s all defeat this ‘undemocratic’ government.”
He said lower-income people including farmers are going through a tough time as the prices of all essential commodities have shot up.
“Did not they promise to give a kg rice for Tk 10? What is the price now? 70 or 80?” he said adding that the current government has shattered the dreams of 30 million unemployed youth.
“Sheikh Hasina and her government has rendered the country a basket case by resorting to repression for last 14 years. Is the Awami League an elected government? Was there any vote in 2014? No. The voting in 2018 was finished the night before. Then they bragged of winning the election.”
He said the AL government will have to face the trial in people’s court for snatching all democratic rights away.
Expressing his gratitude to the party men for joining the rally in huge numbers, Fakhrul said, “You have started a new struggle. This is the struggle for your emancipation, and this is the struggle to get back your rights. This is the struggle to get back you voting rights. Sylhet is the place where our Liberation War started. The struggle of Sylhet never stopped.”
Speaking at the rally as special quest, BNP Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said the government has tried to foil every divisional rally of BNP by resorting to various tricks but the people has given them their replies.
He said that BNP will start the movement to topple the government after the divisional rally in Dhaka on 10 December.
 Abdul Moyeen Khan, a member of the BNP’s standing committee, said that unjust torture is going on all over Bangladesh.
He said BNP will establish the democracy in the country again and give people back their voting rights.
 BNP Vice-Chairman Dr Zahid Hossain said, “People all over the country have woken up today. Sheikh Hasina will fall. People will win. Prices of goods will decrease. A non-partisan government will be established.”
BNP leader and Sylhet city corporation mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury said that the people have expressed their no confidence on the government by staying at the rally venue for three days.
He said BNP leaders and activists from three districts of Sylhet joined the rally in huge numbers defying transport strikes and various obstacles.
The Alia Madrasa ground in Sylhet city turned into a human sea since Friday afternoon as thousands of BNP leaders and activists entered the city taking processions from Habiganj, Moulvibazar, and Sunamganj districts. Besides, a large number of common people of Sylhet city also joined the rally.
Police and other security officials have been deployed around the rally venue and at different points of the town to prevent any untoward incident.
BNP has been organising the rallies protesting against the price hike of essential commodities, demanding the next parliamentary election under a caretaker government and the release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.