AL to hold massive rally on 28 Oct to mount pressure on BNP

Awami League wants to keep Gulistan and nearby areas under its complete control on 28 October when BNP announced to hold a grand rally.

The ruling party aims to establish its supremacy in the streets to ensure that BNP cannot take position in the streets.

Several central leaders of AL said the party will take every possible strategy to keep BNP at bay. Sources said police may not give permission to BNP to hold its rally in Naya Paltan and ask to hold the rally elsewhere.

AL will consider shifting its rally if BNP concedes to the proposal of police to shift its venue from Naya Paltan.

AL wants to gather 500,000 people in Dhaka city on 28 October. The central leadership of the party will hold meeting with leaders and public representatives of Dhaka and nearby upazilas, thanas, wards and unions on Wednesday.

The party plans to bring a huge number of people from five upazilas of Dhaka district—Savar, Dohar, Keraniganj, Nawabganj and Dhamrai.

Dhaka city AL’s general secretary Humayun Kabir told Prothom Alo that they are preparing to hold a massive rally. The ruling party will answer BNP if it wants to create any chaos.

There are 75 wards in Dhaka South City Corporation and 64 wards in north. Sources said instructions have been given to bring at least 2,000 people from each ward of both city corporations. Jubo League and Chhatra League want to gather over 100,000 students and youths in the rally. The other associate organisations would also be asked to gather as many people as possible.

Alongside the five upazilas of Dhaka, leaders and people’s representatives from Gazipur and Narayanganj were also asked to gather people in the city on 28 October.

BNP at first announced to hold a grand rally in Dhaka on 28 October. Later, AL also announced to hold a rally in the city’s Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on the same day.

A central leader of the ruling party, on condition of anonymity told Prothom Alo, that the two parties have created a hype about 28 October.

The people will consider the party which gathers more people as winner. That’s why AL is eying to hold a massive gathering on 28 October.

He said US ambassador Peter Haas brought up the issue of BNP’s mass rally on 28 October during his meeting with home minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday. This placed AL under some pressure.

AL central leaders will hold a meeting with Dhaka city and district units leaders tomorrow, on Wednesday. The meeting will take place in AL Dhaka district office in Tejgaon. The leaders of Dhaka city south and north units will attend the meeting.

The presidents and secretaries of thana and ward units were also asked to take part in the meeting. Mayors of two cities and councilors of AL will also join the meeting.

Alongside the leaders of Dhaka district unit, president and secretaries of upazila, thana and union parishad units will also join the meeting. The elected public representatives of the party were also instructed to join the meeting.

AL sources said the party has not held such an extensive meeting in recent past. Leaders of all stages are being involved to ensure massive attendance in the meeting.  The people’s representatives have been asked to bring more people to the rally if they want to secure party tickets in the election.

AL joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim told Prothom Alo that BNP wants to create chaos by gathering people to Dhaka from all over the country on 28 October while AL wants to maintain peace keeping the people by their side.