Awami League to show organisational strength holding big rallies in Dhaka

The ruling Awami League will show the party’s organisational strength by holding big rallies in the capital Dhaka at the beginning of September.

As part of the plan, Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Awami League, will organise a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital on 1 September.

Awami League will organise a rally at old trade fair ground in Agargaon in the city on the next day, 2 September.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will address both the rallies. The party has been planning to gather larger rallies in recent times to show its strength to the opposition and the voters.

BCL has been preparing for the last one month to gather youths from around the country to hold its rally at Suhrawardy Udyan.

Meanwhile, leaders and activists of the party from all the districts of Dhaka division will take part in the rally at Agargaon, to be organised by Dhaka city north and south units of AL.

The rally will be held following inauguration of Dhaka elevated expressway.

Sources from AL and BCL said a stern message has been sent from the highest level of the party to the grassroots level to ensure huge gathering of people at the rallies.

BCL has asked its organisational units and educational institution units to ensure large gatherings. It also said the leaders will be held accountable if they come with a small number of people.

The letters issued in this regard also mentioned giving prizes for ensuring large gatherings.

Likewise, the district level leaders and party’s MPs have also been given a target number of people.

On 22 August, the central leaders of the party exchanged views with the leaders of Dhaka and neighbouring organisational districts at Dhaka district Awami League office in the city’s Tejgaon. The party’s general secretary addressed the district and organisational units and instructed the leaders of those units to bring a large number of people.

AL sources said the prime minister would highlight the party’s successes in the past and give new pledges if the party comes to power again. The PM would also assure the party leaders-activists that the next general election would be held on time as per the constitution and no one would be able to thwart it.

AL presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak told Prothom Alo that apart from Dhaka, the PM would join rallies in Sylhet, Barishal, Khulna and different districts in September and October as part of preparation for the election.

He said AL is a party of people and they are the strength of the party. It is wrong if someone thinks AL can be pushed out of power.

AL was on the streets with programmes countering BNP’s ones so far. The party has somewhat backed away from that stance. The party would hold nominal programmes countering BNP in September rather than emphasising on big rallies. AL wants to hold two massive rallies at the beginning of September.

The objective of these rallies would be displaying AL’s popularity in and outside the country. Another objective is to show that BNP’s street agitation failed to make any dent to AL’s position. The ruling party would continue to hold such massive rallies till the election.

AL party sources said the BNP’s rally in Naya Paltan on 28 July drew huge attendance. AL felt the pressure of holding a large rally since then. The party on 2 August organized a big rally in Rangpur. The ruling party plans to hold at least 10 big rallies in Dhaka and elsewhere in September and October.

A central leader of AL told Prothom Alo that the capital would come to a standstill in two days of rallies but people would not suffer since the days are weekends. The two rallies would display the strength and popularity of AL.

Dhaka city south and north units of AL would organise the citizen’s rally but 11 districts of Dhaka division and four city units were asked to gather a certain number of people to the event. Two city units were instructed to gather 100,000 people each while Dhaka district unit’s target is set at 50,000. Apart from this, other district units have been asked to gather an average of 30,000 people. Altogether, the ruling party aims to gather 400,000 to 500,000 people.

General secretary of Dhaka District Awami League Paniruzzaman told Prothom Alo that they have held several preparatory meetings. They are trying to bring more people than the target given to them.

Dhaka district AL’s general secretary Poniruzzaman told Prothom Alo that the party has already held several preparatory meetings. The units are trying to gather more people than the target.

BCL rally being is organized to commemorate Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib. But the organisation has taken it as an opportunity to show organisational strength ahead of the next elections.

The decision to hold a rally of Awami League’s students-youths after BNP held youth rallies last July. BCL started preparing for the rally long ago.

BCL central unit on 19 August sent a letter to the orgnisational units with a seven-point instruction. The letter asked each university, medical college, city, district, upazila and pourashava units to join the rally at their own initiative. The best unit among the participants would be rewarded. And if any unit fails to gather adequate participation would be brought under accountability.

Another letter on Sunday asked the BCL leaders to campaign for the rally up to the village level. The letter asked the leaders to run campaigns for the rally online and offline.

BCL has 126 main units across the country.

BCL central president Saddam Hossain told Prothom Alo that the Suhrawardy’s rally would demonstrate the students’ emotion for Father of the Nation and Bangamata. Hundreds of thousands of students would gather in Dhaka that day to carry forward the dream of Sheikh Hasina’s smart Bangladesh.