Government standing against people: Fakhrul Huge rally marks BNP’s 41st founding anniv

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday vowed to stage a tougher street movement for release of party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, alleging that the government was standing against the people by acting as a ‘fascist and autocratic’ one.

The BNP top brass made the comments while addressing a rally in front of the party central office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka, prior to bringing out a procession, marking the 41st founding anniversary of the party.

The BNP was founded on September 1, 1978. 

Thousands of leaders and activists of the BNP and its front and associate organisations including Mahila Dal, Chhatra Dal, Juba Dal, Krishak Dal, Muktijoddha Dal, Sramik Dal Swechchhasebak Dal, Tanti Dal and Matsyajibi Dal joined the pre-scheduled rally and the processions.

Though the rally was scheduled to be held at 2:00pm, leaders and activists in small processions from different corners of Dhaka and the adjacent three districts – Gazipur, Munshiganj and Narayanganj – began to pour in the venue since 10:00am.

Leaders and many activists in T-shirts with badges and caps carried posters, festoons and banners, mostly demanding Khaleda’s release, joined the rally.

At around 1:30pm, the roads between the Nightingale intersection and the Dainik Bangla intersection and the adjacent by-lanes were filled with leaders and activists forcing the police to shut the vehicular movement at both the ends.

Severe traffic congestions resulted from the processions and the rally in the surrounding areas.

Many participants joined processions in horse-carts and mini-trucks with sound systems, beating drums and chanting slogans demanding their top leader’s release.

They also denounced the December 30, 2018 general elections and the government’s failures and oppression on the opposition leaders and activists and vowed to oust the government terming it illegal and undemocratic.

A procession was organised from the party central office that came back to the same place after parading nearby roads via the Nightingale and Shantinagar crossings.

Addressing the rally as the chair, BNP secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that, in spite of keeping Khaleda in jail, the huge presence at the rally proved that the government would not be able to suppress the BNP.

 ‘They will not be able to suppress the movement for release of Khaleda Zia and  freeing democracy,’ he said.

‘They want to establish a one-party BAKSAL rule by destroying democracy. They have destroyed the economy, hiked the prices of gas and electricity and imposed the burden of hiked taxes on people. They have also been destroying the banking sector by looting money,’

‘Actually, they are standing against the people and have become detached from the people. That is why they want to remain in power by resorting to murders, keeping opposition leaders and activists in jail. But they will not be able to do so. No autocratic government could perpetuate their power,’ he said.

‘We will bring back Khaleda Zia and restore democracy through a tough movement against the present “autocratic and fascist” government,’ he said.

Standing committee member Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain alleged that the government was implementing its plan to re-establish the BAKSAL by eliminating the BNP.

Alleging that the government was obstructing Khaleda’s bail, another BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said that the government had no right to stay in power as they grabbed it by stealing votes in the dark of night following December 29, 2018 while the election was scheduled to be held on December 30.

Party standing committee member Mirza Abbas and senior joint secretary-general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also spoke.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net