BNP’s Barishal rally draws huge crowd

Staff Reporter :
Tens of thousands of BNP leaders and workers and the non-partisans in Barishal echoed the resignation of the ruling party and handing over power to a caretaker government.
Defying road and waterways strikes and various other obstructions and attack incidents, the leaders and activists gathered at the Bangabandhu Uddyan to make the rally successful.
Though Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader earlier said that the ruling party would not prevent BNP from holding its peaceful rally, a motorcade of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain came under attack, allegedly by ruling party men, on his way to Barishal to attend the mass rally.
The incident left at least 10 party workers and leaders injured and several vehicles vandalised.
BNP alleged that ruling party activists attacked their motorcade to intimidate the BNP workers to refrain from joining the rally. But they said that no attack can stop them before realising their demands to be fulfilled.
In spite of such attacks, waterways and transport strikes and various other obstructions, BNP leaders and workers joined the rally by trawlers, boats, motorcycles and even on foot to listen to the address of the central and local leaders.
Addressing the rally, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that there would be no election under the Awami League (AL) government.
“No election under this government is acceptable. This is clear. This government must step down. The parliament must be dissolved. A new government will come and form a new election commission. And the next election will be held under that government,” he added.
He also said that whenever Awami League came to power, they rigged votes as it happened in the election of 2014 and 2018.
“Today Awami League has become a party of vote rigging. They have rigged votes whenever they were in power. They came to power by rigging votes in 2014 and 2018. It cannot go on,” he added.
He also said, “The ruling party had been hatching a new strategy to rig votes. But there will be no election under Sheikh Hasina’s government.”
Regarding their mass rally, he said, “The rally is neither for BNP, nor for Khaleda Zia, nor for Tarique Rahman. It is a movement to protect the entire nation and the country.”
He also said that ruling party men were attacking BNP workers and leaders during their rallies and filing cases against them. None is safe in this country, he added.
“Awami League has destroyed all our achievements. We had established multi-party democracy, but Awami League destroyed it and established a one-party rule. They have destroyed our economy and our politics. They have been unleashing oppression on people for 14 years,” he added.
About electricity, he said, “The government has trumpeted that the country is self-reliant on it. But where is the electricity? The hotel I stayed at was out of electricity for 10 hours. The same situation was there in 1996.”
BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said that Awami League would not be able to rig any votes from now on.
About the strikes, he said that the Awami League could not stop the mass gathering even by shutting down everything as people had stood up against the government.
“Today it is not merely a rally here. It is a revolution. Awami League will topple by the revolution,” he added.
“The government is blackmailing with the threats to send Khaleda Zia to jail. There is no point in filing cases against Tarique Rahman and Zubaida Rahman. Khaleda Zia is ready to sacrifice her life for democracy,” he added.
BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said, “There are no human rights in the country. There is no money in the banks. The country has lost its owner abroad. America imposes sanctions on Bangladesh.”
He also mentioned that there was no freedom of the press and no freedom of speech in the country under the AL government.
Earlier in the morning, Ishraque, also BNP’s Dhaka South City unit leader, said that a group of miscreants clubbed their motorcade, numbering 50-60 vehicles, when they reached Mahilara Bazar in Gournadi Upazila early in the morning and some of their leaders and workers were injured.
Among the injured were General Secretary of No 38 Ward of Dhaka South City Unit Shahidul Haque, and Mamun Bhuiya.
He also said that they faced obstructions a number of times on their way to Barishal.
Protesting the incident, BNP leaders and workers vandalised the Malihara Modern Club and injured some 15 Jubo League and Chhatra League activists. Some of them were admitted to Gournadi Upazila Health Complex.
Jubo League President of Malihara Union Rasel Bari, however, denied the allegation of attack on the motorcade. He alleged that the BNP attacked them and some 15 activists injured and vandalised 10 motorcycles.
The transport owners in Bhola played double roles by withdrawing strike before six hours without realising their demands to free the highways from three-wheelers on highways.
Bhola Bus Owners Association withdrew the transport strike around six hours ago and started the bus services on internal routes from 12pm.
On the other hand, the launch operation on Bhola-Barishal route was suspended for the third consecutive days on Saturday. But the speed boats came into operation from Bhola to Barishal at a high fare.
The ferry operation became normal from Bhola to Barishal, Bhola to Laxmipur. The bus service became normal on Bhola-Chattogram route.
President of Bhola Bus Workers Union Mizanur Rahman said, “The workers were passing through hard times owing to the strike. Even the passengers were suffering a lot. So we requested the Bus Owners Association to start bus service.”
Earlier, the workers and activists said that they were ready to embrace any kind of sacrifice for restoring democracy and they were frustrated at the spiraling price hike of daily essentials.
BNP has been holding rallies demanding a caretaker government to hold the next general election, release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and protesting the price hike of daily essentials.
The opposition will hold a total of 10 rallies and the sixth rally will be held in Faridpur on November 12 and the last rally will be held in the capital on December 10.