BNP on Sunday placed their a seven-point demand, including the release of its Chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail and formation of a neutral election-time government before the announcement of the election schedule, from its rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city.
It also announced a 12-point vision of the party from the rally to ensure good governance and build a welfare state based on fairness if the party is voted to power.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who presided over the rally, spelled out the demands and the visions of the party.
He also said they will hold rallies in all district towns across the country on October 3 and submit a memorandum to deputy commissioners and observe the same programme in all cities on October 4 and submit a memorandum to the divisional commissioners to force the government to meet their demands.
The BNP leader said their party will gradually announce more action programmes in the days to come and intensify their movement. “We’ll surely force the government to free Khaleda Zia, ensure the return of Tarique Rahman and the release of our all the arrested leaders and activists.”
The party’s other demands are withdrawal of all the ‘false’ cases filed against Khaleda, party senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman, and all other political prisoners, dissolution of the current parliament, resignation of the government, deployment of army at all the polling stations with magistracy power for ensuring fair balloting, assurance of not using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the election, appointment of local and international observers without imposing any restriction on them for ensuring transparency in the polls and reconstitution of the Election Commission.
Besides, the party demanded the government release all the opposition leaders and activists revoking their conviction, keep suspended all the cases filed against them from the announcement of the election schedule till the final announcement of the results, not to implicate any of them in new cases, and release all the arrested students who waged quota-reform and safe-road movements, journalists who waged movement for their rights and people who got arrested on charge of expressing their opinions on social media after withdrawing the cases filed against them.
In its 12-point vision, the party said it will take steps to ensure good governance, press freedom, neutrality of public institutions by establishing the rule of law and removing politicisation, balance in state power, independence of the judiciary and its power through appointing judges based on a transparent process, make the armed forces stronger through modernisation, strengthen the Anti-Corruption Commission effective freeing it from political influence to check corruption, ensure the security of public life and property and their basic rights, build cordial relations with neighbouring counties by increasing trade and commerce, communication and investment, not to pamper any type of terrorist acts and allow any militant group to use Bangladesh’s territory, create jobs for all, provide the unemployed educated youth with allowance and create a national consensus to get rid of the politics of vengeance.
The rally formally began around 2pm with recitation from the holy Quran.
Though BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has been in jail since February 8, the party made her the chief guest of the rally as a mark of respect to her. The chair of the chief guest was kept empty at the rally.
BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar, Rafiqul Islam Miah, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan, among others, spoke at the rally.
Most of the party senior leaders laid emphasis on forging the national unity and waging a strong movement to force the government to quit and holding a credible election under a neutral administration after having Khaleda released from jail.
They also urged their party leaders and activists to get ready for taking to the streets to force the government to concede to their all the demands.
The BNP leaders also urged the all government officials and employees, including law enforcers, to play a neutral role and stand beside people.
Thousands of party leaders and activists gathered at the venue in small processions since morning with slogans demanding Khaleda’s release.Huge law enforcers were deployed in and around the venue to maintain law and order.
On Saturday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authorities permitted BNP to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan with 22 conditions. BNP held its last rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on November 12, 2017 where Khaleda addressed it as the chief guest.
source: UNB
