BNP announces grand rally in Dhaka on July 27

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced to hold a grand rally in the capital on July 27 to press home their one-point demand to hold the next national election under a neutral government.

The party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme from youth rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on Saturday.

The youth rally arranged by three BNP associate bodies–Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchasebak Dal–formally began around 3:28pm with the recitation from the holy Quran.

Mirza Fakhrul said, “Ghost cases are being filed to suppress the opposition. They (government) are playing tricks to keep the opposition away from polls through intimidation. But there will be no elections without a non-partisan government. The decision will be settled on the streets.”

He further said, “There is only one-point demand which is the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. A grand rally will be held in Dhaka at 2.00pm to press home this demand.”

The BNP leader called upon people from all walks of life to join the rally spontaneously to hasten the fall of the current regime.

Mentioning that Awami League is ruling the country forcefully by violating the constitution unjustly, Mirza Fakhrul said they (government) are sure that they cannot win elections under a non-partisan government.

They will not get 10 seats if the election is held under non-partisan government, he added.

The BNP secretary general said though the government is undemocratic but they want to prove themselves as pro-democratic.

He said no one is getting a job without involving in the politics of Awami League and giving Tk 20 lakh bribe.

The rally started 90 minutes late as the makeshift stage set up for the programme collapsed apparently due to extra load. The incident occurred when Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku was formally opening the rally around 1:50pm. Later, the party activists with the help of the employees of the decoration company repaired the cracked stage.

Youth leaders and activists from various parts of Dhaka wearing different coloured caps and carrying banners, festoons, placards and portraits of the party’s top leaders gathered at the venue in processions.