The three BNP associate organisations--Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Swechchasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal--staged a long march from Dhaka to Agartala in protest against Indian aggression and demanding an end to the false campaigns against Bangladesh.
The long march, which began at the capital’s Nayapaltan around 9:00 am, reached Akhaura Land Port by 4:00 pm and ended peacefully with a brief rally there.
Speaking at the rally, Jubo Dal President Abdul Munayem Munna said BNP, together with the people of Bangladesh, will foil any plot against the country.
He warned that BNP and its associate bodies would not compromise on the issue of Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty and would resist Indian aggression through united efforts.
Munna also urged Indian politicians and media outlets to stop spreading false information and propaganda about Bangladesh.
He said they earlier staged a road march in Dhaka, and submitted a memorandum to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka in protest against recent anti-Bangladesh incidents in India and the Indian media’s information terrorism. “Our protests will continue.”
On the way to Akhaura, a roadside rally was also held at Bhairab intersection around 1:30 pm.
At the rally, Swechchasebak Dal President SM Jilani said India could not be considered a friend of Bangladesh since it sheltered Sheikh Hasina, whom he called the "enemy of Bangladesh".
“We would like to say that this is not Sheikh Hasina's Bangladesh. This is the Bangladesh of Shaheed Zia, Khaleda Zia, and Tarique Rahman. If they (enemies) even look at an inch of soil in this country, those eyes will be plucked out,” he said.
Jubo Dal General Secretary Nurul Islam Nayan said the people of Bangladesh once thought of India as a friend. “But they (India) attacked our Assistant High Commission office and desecrated our national flag. Are these examples of friendship? Friendship with India cannot continue in this manner.”
Describing India as a hegemonic state, he said the dictatorial rule of Sheikh Hasina repressed the people of Bangladesh for the past 16 years, with the backing of India.
Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam Rakib said India is conspiring to create chaos in Bangladesh only to please Sheikh Hasina. “We will resist this with united efforts.”
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Talking to UNB, Dhaka District unit Jubo Dal President Yasin Ferdous Murad said their long march had ended with the rally in Akhaura.
He said many common people who joined the long march on its way to Akhaura from Dhaka while many others were seen standing on the road side and chanting slogans in support of the march.
Murad said that through this long march, they aimed to send a message that the people of Bangladesh, under the leadership of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, would build resistance against any plot or aggression against the country.
Earlier in the morning, the three BNP associate bodies began their long march from Dhaka to Agartala to protest against Indian aggression.
The programme also aimed to protest the attack on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala, the desecration of the country’s national flag, and the spread of false information and terrorism against Bangladesh by India.
Several thousand leaders and activists from the three organisations formally began the long march with a huge motorcade from the party's Nayapaltan central office at around 9:00 am. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi formally inaugurated the programme.
