Supporters swarm Sylhet Alia Madrasah ground a day before BNP rally

Staff Reporter :
The Alia Madrasah ground in Sylhet has turned into a human sea, a day before the BNP’s seventh divisional rally scheduled to be held there on Saturday.
Thousands of BNP leaders and supporters reached the rally venue on Friday braving the transport strike.
Transport strikes in Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts have virtually isolated the division from the rest of the country ahead of the BNP rally in Sylhet city.
Although the transport strike for Sylhet district is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday), no long-distance buses left Sylhet city since Friday morning, reports our Sylhet correspondent.
This “unannounced” transport strike of long-distance buses caused immense sufferings to commuters who planned their travel for Friday.
However, BNP leaders and supporters reached the Alia Madrasah ground using various modes of vehicles including trucks, motorcycles, cars, three-wheelers, even on foot.
Wearing colourful T-shirts printed with the images of party chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairperson Tarique Rahman alongside the party symbol “sheaf of paddy”, the leaders and activists also staged motorcycle showdowns across the city.
Meanwhile, the rally venue Alia Madrasah ground was full on Friday afternoon as hundreds of BNP leaders and activists entered Sylhet city taking out processions from Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts.
Many of them were seen chanting slogans in favor of the BNP and against the government.
Besides, BNP activists, who are flocking to Sylhet city from all over the division, have camped at around 20 community centres in the city.
Many leaders and activists from far away were seen resting and sleeping in ‘camps’.
Manik Miah came from Dharon Bazar in Sunamganj’s Chhatak upazila and was resting at one such centre at Pathantula area in the city.

He said, “Due to the transport strike, we came by boat on a 6-hr journey via the River Surma. We will be staying at the centre where the leaders arranged dinner for us.”
At this centre, dinner for nearly 5,000 supporters is being prepared with the help of a BNP leader and supported by the Sylhet city unit of BNP.
Akkas Ali, an elderly person from Sunamganj’s Tahirpur upazila, came to Sylhet on motorcycle which also took him around six hours. He camped at another community centre at Subidbazar area in the city.
“I could not skip the grand rally by any chance. I plan to stay here but it is already too crowded with thousands of people. Maybe I cannot sleep, but I’m happy to have a shelter,” he said.
Earlier on Friday morning, BNP Central Executive Committee member and Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Ariful Haque Chowdhury said that this Sylhet city would become a sea of people by this afternoon. “What you expect for tomorrow, will happen a day ago. The city will be filled with people.”
He said, “We have been doing all our work for 13 years fighting against all obstacles. Now our demand has become the people’s demand.”
BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional and big cities. The party will end its divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
UNB adds: BNP’s Sylhet divisional rally, slated for November 19 at the Government Alia Madrasa field in the city, has been plagued with transport strikes called by several organisations.
Habiganj Motor Owners’ group on Thursday called for an indefinite strike on movement of buses, demanding an end to “administrative harassment” and halting illegal three-wheelers.
On the other hand, Sylhet district Workers’ Solidarity Council called a 12-hour strike from 6:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday on movement of all types of vehicles to press home their four-point demands.
Besides, Sylhet district Road Transport Owners’ Association also called a dawn to dusk strike on Saturday in Sylhet on their two-point demand including for not issuing any new license for CNG-run auto rickshaw.
Fazlur Rahman, president of Habiganj Motor Owners’ group, at a press conference at Habiganj municipality bus terminal on Thursday claimed that there was no link between their strike and the BNP rally.
He said they took the decision to enforce the strike in protest against the administrative actions to send back their buses from Salamatpur bus stand in Nabiganj on Thursday.
Several leaders of the group were present at the press conference.
On the other hand, Md Zakaria, general secretary of Sylhet district Workers Solidarity Council, said they would continue the strike until their four-point demand, including for giving permission to lift stones from all quarries in the district and stopping movement of three-wheelers on the highway, is met.
Abdul Kaium, president of Sylhet district unit BNP, alleged that the transport organizations called the strikes under pressure from the government.
“No conspiracy will be able to halt the mass gathering of the party men,” he claimed.