AL to take to street the day BNP holds rally

Ruling Bangladesh Awami League-led 14-party alliance and principal opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have announced to hold rallies in the capital on the same day, on 29 September.

The ruling camp will hold its rally at Mohanagar Natya Mancha in Gulistan, the alliance coordinator, Mohammad Nasim said after a preparatory meeting at its headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue on Tuesday.

The BNP has shifted the date of its meeting to 29 September from 27 September.

BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the new date at a press conference at the Naya Paltan central office on Tuesday, without assigning any reason for rescheduling of the rally date.

The opposition party, he said, will hold the rally at Suhrawardi Udyan, subject to permission from the police, however.

Once the opposition party came up with its public rally programme, especially after joining the National Unity Process convened by Kamal Hossain, the AL-led alliance has taken the step to 'take control of the Dhaka city'.

The 14-party alliance spokesman Mohammad Nasim has asked the leaders and activists not to allow the 'evil force' to take to the streets.

He also told the party men to resist others.

“The conspirators will take to the street. We will observe those who will do and who won’t,” said Nasim, also an AL presidium member.

He asked the leaders and activists to remain alert in their respective localities. “If there are conspiracies and anarchies, we will resist them.”

Nasim also urged the leaders and activists of the alliance to make their own rally on 29 September a success.

The AL leader mentioned that the ruling camp, under the leadership of the AL general secretary, began election campaign at upazila and district levels. Its partners have also launched their campaign across the country, he added.

“We want a competitive election. But when somersault politicians, who have no ideology and permanent address, talk about democracy, we suspect conspiracy has begun,” Mohammad Nasim said.

Criticising the convener of Jatiya Oikya Prokriya (National Unity Process) Kamal Hossain, Nasim said, “We have so far seen that the players are hired during the match. Now we see the leader like Kamal Hossain is being hired. If you want to play, play with us, there is no problem.”

“Can you achieve victory being a hired player? You can’t. Can the parties, that have no existence of their own, find any existence in other parties?” he asked.

Nasim went on to say, “You (the leaders of Jukta Front and National Oikya Prokriya) are deceptive. People have no trust on you. Even your activists have no trust on you.”

He insisted that no attempt to foil the election will be successful.

"When certain movement for democracy was launched in the country, these known faces repeatedly tried to defer elections," Nasim said.

The parliamentary elections will be held in the stipulated time, he said.

Nasim alleged that the armed forces are being instigated, when demand is made to deploy the army personnel during the national elections.