The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, is likely to address the party's rally scheduled for May 9 in Dhaka where she might announce 'tough programmes' to push for its demand for the resignation of the government and the holding of mid-term polls.
Although the main opposition has planned to hold the rally in Paltan Maidan in the capital, it has yet to get approval from authorities concerned.
The party, however, warned the government against putting hindrance on holding rally in Paltan Maidan and issued a threat of holding the rally in front of Bangabhaban, the office of the president of the republic.
The party's ranking leaders said that Khaleda was scheduled to announce at the rally on May 9 the party's next anti-government programmes, which might include a series of long marches.
The BNP has, meanwhile, made all-out preparations to make the rally successful. The party leaders said that more than a lakh of people would join the rally.
'[Khaleda] is likely to address the rally on May 9 and we have been instructed to ensure the presence of more than a lakh of people at the rally,' a senior joint secretary general of the party told New Age.
'Party activists from five districts around Dhaka have been asked to attend the rally along with the supporters and well-wishers,' he said.
As the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has declined permission for the party to use Paltan ground, the BNP at a press conference at its central office at Naya Paltan on Wednesday protested at the decision of the authorities on not allowing the party to hold a rally in Paltan Maidan and on imposing a ban on rallies in Muktangan as well for an indefinite period.
The BNP after a standing committee meeting announced five-day agitation programmes to press home its demands for uninterrupted power and gas supply, arrest of price spiral, trial of people behind the share market scam and the holding of mid-term polls.
The five-day programmes include submission of memorandum to the deputy commissioners across the country and holding a central rally in Muktangan, scheduled for today, protesting at share market scam and holding a rally in Paltan Maidan on May 9 to demand mid-term polls.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has, meanwhile, imposed a ban for an indefinite period on rallies and processions in Muktangan, after some of the religion-based political parties had announced to hold rallies in the place in protest against the women development policy.
'We have written to authorities concerned seeking permission to hold the rally in Paltan Maidan but they have declined to allow us to use the ground,' Mirza Fakhrul said at the media briefing on Wednesday. 'The authorities concerned have, meanwhile, imposed a ban on rallies and processions in Muktangan where we are scheduled to hold a rally on Thursday.'
'We have for long been claiming that this fascist government is out to stop all democratic practices in the country by snatching people's democratic rights,' Fakhrul said.
Referring to the DMP decision on not allowing the party to hold the rally in Paltan Maidan and ban on rallies in Muktangan, the BNP's acting secretary general said, 'It is a brazen interference in people's fundamental rights.'
He, however, vowed to hold the programmes by any means. 'We will hold our programmes by any means.'
'If we are not allowed to hold the rally in Paltan Maidan,' he said, 'we will hold it in Muktangan. If we are not allowed to hold the rally there as well, we will hold the rally in front of the party office and if we are also not allowed there, we will hold the rally on Manik Mia Avenue.'
Fakhrul said, 'Even if the government does not allow us to hold the rally on Manik Mia Avenue, we will hold the rally in front of Bangabhaban.'
The party's joint secretary general Amanullah Aman, who was sitting next to Mirza Fakhrul, however, requested journalists not to quote the statement of Mirza Fakhrul regarding holding the rally in front of Bangabhaban.
Source: New Age
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