Public rally: BNP men rush to Khulna defying barriers
The ongoing movement is not for BNP to come to power, rather it is for ousting those who do not believe in democracy, said BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy
Following what happened on the way before the rally in Chattogram and Mymensingh, the leaders and and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have started their journey to Khulna with more than one day in hand.
The de facto opposition leaders and activists had to defy different sorts of barriers, including hindrances from the leaders and activists of ruling Awami League and its associate bodies and shortage of vehicles due to threat to transport workers and owners, on the way to join the rallies.
This time, however, the transport workers and owners have enforced a two-day strike before the BNP rally to be held in between Dak Bunglow and Ferrighat Mor in Khulna city on Saturday.
A good number of BNP men of the adjacent districts embarked on buses and trains in groups to reach Khulna on Thursday afternoon, in an effort to avoid the transport strike and ensure their presence in the rally.
Some of them took puffed and flattened rice to satisfy their hunger during any untoward situation.
As the law enforcement agencies have reportedly done before the BNP rallies in Chattogram and Mymensingh, police have allegedly arrested some BNP leaders in various old cases, apparently to refrain them from joining the public rally. They arrested at least 48 BNP leaders and activists from Jashore in the last two days.
Meanwhile, the ruling party is preparing to hold a rally in the divisional city on Friday while its affiliated organisations, including Bangladesh Chhatra League, Jubo League and Swechchha Sebok League, will hold processions in the city, to promote the development works of the government.
The more barriers there are in the movement, the more success it will gain
There were efforts to restrict the gathering of people in the previous BNP rallies in Chattogram and Mymensingh. The vehicular movement was suspended on the Mymensingh highways while incidents of sporadic clashes and obstacles took place in Chattogram.
This time, the leaders of district bus owners association and workers union announced suspension of bus operation two days before the BNP rally in Khulna.
They even took water and dry foods, including puffed and flattened rice, with them in fear that the hotels and restaurants might remain closed in Khulna on the rally day
Having no other choice, the BNP men started their journey towards Khulna soon after the announcement so that they could evade the transport strike.
BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said the ongoing movement is not for BNP to come to power, rather it is for ousting those who do not believe in democracy.
The more barriers there are in the movement, the more success it will gain, he said in a press briefing in the party’s Khulna office on Thursday evening. Gayeshwar is the chief advisor of the Khulna divisional rally implementation committee.
Journey with puffed-flattened rice from Chuadanga
After attending a preparatory meeting in Chuadanga at noon, the leaders and activists of BNP's Chuadanga district unit started for Khulna by trains and buses, whatever they found convenient.
They even took water and dry foods, including puffed and flattened rice, with them in fear that the hotels and restaurants might remain closed in Khulna on the rally day.
Sharifuzzaman, member secretary of the district unit, told Prothom Alo that they had instructed the party men to keep water and dry foods with them.
“We have taken to the streets to bring down this fascist government. The street movement will continue until it (the regime) collapses,” he added.
The BNP men in Magura found no vehicles for going to Khulna. They hired some transports in advance, but the owners are now paying back the advances.
Badrul Alam, president of Sreepur upazila BNP, hired eight buses and five microbuses for attending the rally in Khulna. But the transport owners returned the advances on Thursday morning and expressed their inability to provide service.
Around 5,000 BNP men are supposed to join the rally from Kushtia as the district BNP leaders said.
Former leaders also in the field
Leaders who were inactive in the party for a long period have also joined the movement this time. Nazrul Islam, former president of Khulna city BNP, declared to take to the street with his followers after a 10-month break.
In a press briefing at Khulna press club on Thursday, Nazrul said he took the decision ahead of the public rally, responding to the invitation of the party’s acting chairman and secretary general.
Nazrul Islam was dropped from the BNP’s Khulna city and district committees last year. Later, he was also relieved from the post of the party’s central organising secretary.