BCL showdown ahead of BNP rally in Sylhet

Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL) has displayed a bike showdown at the Sylhet BNP’s grand rally ground just a day before the rally to be held on November 19.
The bike showdown was staged at Sylhet’s Tilagar, Lamabazar and Ambarkhan. BCL’s Sylhet City unit president and secretary guided the bike rally.
Civil society, political analysts and businessmen are fearing a clash between the two political parties as BNP’s grand rally will be held at Aliya Madrasha field is near the BCL meeting place.
On the other hand, addressing a press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office on Thursday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged that the government is trying to push the country towards instability and uncertainty by creating a chaotic situation over their party’s rally in the capital on December 10.
He said from the ruling party leaders’ ‘unguarded’ comments on foiling the rally it seems that there will be a confrontation in the capital on December 10.
The BNP leader, however, warned that the people will never accept any attempt to thwart a peaceful democratic program. “People will make this rally a success by braving all barriers.”
“BNP has been moving forward with its programmes very responsibly in a peaceful and democratic manner enduring all obstacles, attacks and repressions. But the ministers and leaders of the government have indulged in a nefarious plot to foil the BNP’s mass rally in Dhaka by inflaming the situation with their irresponsible and provocative statements,” he said.
Fakhrul said BNP’s Dhaka rally will be held as part of the divisional programmes of the party’s ongoing movement for the restoration of democracy.
“The people from all walks of life will join the rally to push for their just demands and raise their voice for the restoration of democracy by foiling all the evil plans of the government,” the BNP leader said.
He alleged that the government has been arresting BNP leaders and activists and implicating them in false cases centring the December-10 rally.
“This government is creating such an atmosphere centring the rally as if there will be a war in Dhaka on December 10. But we’re clearly saying that this is part of our 10 divisional rallies that we have announced earlier and the Dhaka rally will be our last scheduled programme,” the BNP leader said.
Fakhrul said their party will announce their next course of action and will move forward towards a greater movement with their demands from the Dhaka rally. “This is not our final rally or the final programme of our movement. This is our general and peaceful democratic programme.”
“Awami League leaders and activists are deliberately trying to create chaos as they experience the nightmare of losing power every moment since they have got isolated from people. Out of that fear, they are threatening us by using all the state machinery…are you the government of goons or mafias? If so, announce it clearly, and then we won’t consider you a democratic political party,” he said.
As his attention was drawn to the ruling party leaders’ comment that BNP will face the same fate of Hefajat if it tries to create chaos over December-10 rally, Fakhrul said those days have gone as people are now united against the government.
“I would like to make it very clear that at that time they won’t be able to do what they (govt) did with Hefajat. Because the people have taken a firm stand and they’ll realise their demands at any cost,” he said.
Moreover, bus owners of Sylhet and Moulvibazar have called strikes from 18 to 20 November, ahead of the BNP’s divisional rally.
“Our strike will begin at 6:00am on November 19 and end at 6:00am on 20 November 20 for the ban on movement of illegal three-wheelers and battery-driven auto-rickshaws on highways,” Sylhet District Bus Owners Association general secretary Ziaul Kabir Palash told the media on Wednesday.
However, he said the strike has nothing to do with the BNP rally: “It has been called as part of a pre-announced programme.”
Also, the Moulvibazar Bus-Minibus Owners’ Association called a strike on 18 and 19 November, demanding the cancellation of CNG-run auto rickshaws’ registration, a ban on the movement of illegal battery-driven auto-rickshaws; and calling for an end to the registration of CNG-run auto-rickshaws, extortion and police harassment in trucks, lorries, pickup vans, covered vans and construction of a permanent truck stand.
Moulvibazar Bus-Minibus Owners’ Association Chairman Rashid Uddin Ahmed said the strike will begin at 6:00am on 18 November and end at 6:00am on 19 November.
Sylhet district BNP president Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury said the government forced the transport owners to call the strike to disrupt the BNP rally. “But no conspiracy can stop the mass gathering.”
Besides, around 50 BNP men were hurt in a reported police attack during a meeting of the party in Habiganj’s Lakhai Wednesday night ahead of its Sylhet divisional rally.
The incident took place at the BNP Lakhai office in Bamoi Bazar when a preparatory meeting was going regarding BNP’s 19 November rally in Sylhet and how to make it a success, Habiganj Jubo Dal General Secretary Jalal Ahmed said.