BNP to stage showdown Saturday; AL also to be on streets

Highlights:

• BNP leaders have been holding preparatory meetings and distributing leaflets 
• Extensive campaigns have been carried out in the districts surrounding Dhaka in order to ensure large gathering in the capital
• Awami League said they will be vigilant across the country, especially near the rally at BNP office in Naya Paltan
• The BNP leaders have been instructed to avoid all government provocations aimed at ruining the movements

Following a four-day peaceful and silent protest programme, the BNP and its affiliates are going to stage a showdown today in the capital as well as in all the divisions across the country to press their 10-point demand.

Awami League has also announced a plan to remain vigilant on the streets during the BNP programmes across the country. The ruling party will organise peaceful rallies in addition to taking positions at different areas across the capital.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "The number of people who participated in silent marches in Dhaka city was remarkable. The more the government tortures, the stronger our movement becomes. The final victory can be achieved only through such programmes."

Top BNP leaders have reached different locations to make the rallies across the country successful. Senior BNP leaders have also been holding preparatory meetings and distributing leaflets to engage people on a large scale in the ongoing movement, said sources at the party.

Extensive campaigns have been carried out in the districts surrounding Dhaka in order to ensure a large gathering at the rally in front BNP's central office in Naya Paltan. A meeting was held at the party's central office in this regard on Thursday, said the BNP leaders.

A number of BNP leaders told TBS that they are gradually moving towards the final movement. The party leaders and activists are ready to launch the final movement any time. They have been instructed to avoid all the government provocations aimed at ruining these movements.

They also said the divisional rallies aim to revitalise BNP which has been slightly weakened since 10 December last year. The opposition's organisational strength will be made clear through the rallies.

Sources said the BNP rally in Cumilla division will be held at 2 pm in Cumilla Town Hall Maidan, where BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain will be the chief guest. 

The opposition's rally in Rajshahi, with BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas as the chief guest, will be held in Sona Masjid Road at 2 pm.

BNP's Khulna division rally will take place at Society Mor in front of Khulna City Corporation office, where the party's Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy will be the chief guest.

The BNP rally in Barishal division will be held at Barishal Zilla School ground. BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Abdul Moin Khan will be the chief guest at the programme.

The opposition party's rally in Chattogram will be held in front of its office in the port city, where BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan will be chief guest.

In Mymensingh, their rally will be held in Mymensingh Polytechnic Institute Ground. BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will be the chief guest there.

Their rally in Sylhet division will be held at Sylhet Registry Ground, where BNP Standing Committee Member Selima Rahman will be the chief guest.

BNP rally in Faridpur will be held in Kamalapur High School ground, with BNP Vice-Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu as the chief guest.

In Rangpur, the party's rally will be held in front of its office, where BNP Vice-Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan will be present.

Along with the BNP, the Ganatantra Manch will hold a rally in front of the National Press Club at 11:30 am today. The 12 Party Alliance will organise a meeting at Bijoynagar Water Tank Pump aarea t 11 AM. Jatiyatabadi Samamana Jote will hold a rally in front of Alrazi Complex in Purana Paltan at 11 AM. The Gano Forum and the People's Party will organise another rally near the Notre Dame College in Motijheel at 4 PM. Ganatantrik Bam Oikya will hold a rally in front of the National Press Club at 11 am. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will hold a rally at 3 pm near the FDC in Kawran Bazar.

Meanwhile, Dhaka North Awami League Unit President Sheikh Bazlur Rahman said they will take position at different spots across the city from Saturday morning. BNP will not be allowed to get away with any misconduct under any circumstances. They will resist as soon as there is any hint of violence and anarchy perpetrated by the BNP anywhere.

The Awami League leaders said they have been vigilant during all the programmes of BNP and their affiliated parties in recent days and they will do the same today. They will especially observe the rally in front of the BNP office at Naya Paltan.

AL, BNP to hold rallies in Ctg at 1km distance

Awami League and the BNP are set to hold protest rallies in separate venues at a distance of one kilometre in Chattogram city on Saturday.

The AL rally, organised by the party's Chattogram city unit, will be held at Andarkilla intersection of the city at 3:00pm to protest the anarchy and arson carried out by BNP-Jamaat.

On the other hand, BNP will hold the rally at Kazir Dewri area at the same time to press home their 10-point demand, including unconditional release of their leaders and activists from jail, for which the party has been staging a series of protests since late 2022.

On Friday, Chattogram city unit AL general secretary and former mayor AJM Nasir Uddin urged local leaders and activists to make the rally a success.

Meanwhile, BNP distributed leaflets and organised a preparatory meeting on the eve of the protest rally in the port city.

BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan is scheduled to take part in the rally as the chief guest.

"The government is holding the power forcefully, without votes and without any mandate from the people. Tomorrow's rally must be successful. Fall of the government should be accelerated by intensifying the movement against Sheikh Hasina," coordinator of the rally, BNP Chattogram division Organising Secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shamim told The Business Standard, adding that they were given approval by the police to hold the rally in Kazir Dewri of the city.

As tension rose centring rallies of the two major parties at a distance of less than one kilometre at the same time, Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zahidul Karim told TBS that strict vigilance measures will be ensured in the venues to avert any untoward incident.

AL to hold peace rally during BNP meeting in Khulna

Khulna Metropolitan Unit of Awami League have announced to hold a peace rally during the same time when the BNP will hold a rally there.

The BNP will hold a rally in Hadis Park adjacent to the KCC market, while Awami League will hold their rally at Shibbari intersection in the city. Local people fear that violence may erupt as the distance between the two places is only about 1.6 km.

However, the police said adequate security measures have been taken, keeping in mind the rallies of the two political parties.

Awami League's Khulna Metropolitan Unit President and Khulna City Mayor Talukdar Abdul Khaleque said, "BNP leaders are upset after hearing about our peace rally in Khulna. They have started weaving various conspiracies centering the rally. We cannot allow their conspiracy to be successful. So, we must forget all the differences and strengthen Sheikh Hasina's hand.

"Awami League is a disciplined democratic political party. No undemocratic activities are conducted in this party. So the organisation has to be strengthened to deal with BNP-Jamaat."

Advocate SM Shafiqul Alam Mana, convener of Khulna Metropolitan unit of BNP, said, "The police are searching the houses of our leaders and activists and harassing them ahead of the rally, while Awami League has called a counter rally. The BNP believes in peaceful politics. So a peaceful rally will be held in Khulna."

BNP Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy will be the chief guest at the rally, where its Vice Chairmen Shamsuzzaman Dudu and Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Student Affairs Secretary Rakibul Islam Bakul, Information Affairs Secretary Azizul Bari Helal, and Organisational (Acting) Secretary of the Divisional Unit Anindya Islam Amit will be special guests, he added.

Hasan Al-Mamun, officer-in-charge of Khulna Sadar police station, said, "Multiple units of police in uniform as well as in plainclothes and detectives will be stationed at important locations in the city on occasion of the rally. So, there will not be any trouble."

AL, BNP rallies in Sylhet at same time

Sylhet district and the metropolitan units of Awami League will organise a peace rally at the Shahid Minar premises in the city, while BNP rally will be held at the Sylhet Registry Ground.

President of Sylhet District Unit of BNP Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury said, "The government could not stop BNP by creating obstructions. Now they want to push our peaceful programme into conflict. So they also called a rally on the same day. It is incompatible with the political ethics and political harmony of Sylhet."

However, the leaders of the ruling party said they will hold a peaceful march to protest against the attempt to create anarchy across the country in the name of political demonstrations and they will not obstruct anyone's programme.

General Secretary of Sylhet Awami League Professor Zakir Hossain said, "This is not a counter programme. We will hold a peace rally as part of the central programme. We did not know about the BNP's event. The peace rally will be held to protest against anarchy and arson perpetrated by the BNP-Jamaat alliance."

Sylhet Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Sudeep Das said the police will be alert to prevent any untoward incident due to the two political parties' programmes on the same day.