After 49 days, hundreds of BNP leaders and workers gathered in front of their party’s central office at Nayapaltan for the first time on Saturday, before bringing out a rally to mark Victory Day.
From the rally, the party's first since violence between their activists on one side and the police and AL activists on the opposite side foiled the party’s grand rally on October 28. The opposition leaders and supporters chanted various slogans against the planned January 7 election, calling it 'one-sided' and demanding cancellation of the polling schedule, with a view to hold a fair and inclusive election under a neutral government.
BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the Awami League government is going to stage a mockery in the name of national election on January 7.
“The country was not liberated for holding such a joke of an election,” he said while speaking in front of the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office prior to leading out the colourful rally.
The opposition followers brought out the rally from Nayapaltan around 2:30pm and it ended at Nayapaltan after parading different roads via Kakrail to Malibag amid the presence of a huge number of law enforcers.
BNP leaders and activists—holding the national flags, banners, festoons and photos of party founder Ziaur Rahman and its top leaders— from the capital and its surrounding districts and upazilas participated in the rally under the banner of BNP and its associate bodies.
After the party’s foiled rally on October 28, most of the party leaders went into hiding in fear of arrest amid a crackdown by the law enforcers. Given what has transpired over the course of the last seven weeks, no one can say these fears were unfounded. Over 20,000 BNP leaders and workers have been arrested since the last week of October.
Though the BNP central office remains closed, party leaders and workers started gathering in front of it since 11am in small processions.
Addressing the gathering prior to taking out the rally, Nazrul Islam Khan said the country’s people do not want to see such a lopsided election and they will not go to the polling stations to exercise their right to vote on January 7.
As the people have no interest in the election, he said the ruling party has to field 'dummy candidates' from its own party.
“The way candidates are being nominated, everyone knows who will be the MPs,” the BNP leader said. He alleged that the government has continued arresting and harassing BNP leaders and activists to hold a stage-managed election.
“Democratic rights have been taken away to play a game in the name of election without participation of the opposition parties,” Nazrul said.
BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said democracy had won on December 16, 1971 - but not in the biggest matches.
“By killing that democracy, the Awami League government has now turned Victory Day into a defeat day.”
He said the country was liberated by the freedom fighters to get rid of exploitation and oppression by the Pakistanis.
The Ex-BNP leader bemoaned that the Awami League government is now plundering the resources of the country and repressing people by snatching their rights and destroying democracy.
“Let’s take an oath today to carry out a united fight against those who are looting Bangladesh and those who have annihilated the ideals of Bangladesh, those who have taken away the democratic and the voting rights of freedom-loving people and those who have kept the democracy-loving people in jail by implementing them in false cases,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the party paid homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War of 1971, by placing floral wreaths at the National Mausoleum in Savar, marking the 52nd Victory Day.
BNP's standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan together with party leaders and workers placed the wreaths at the memorial around 10am.
Talking to reporters there, Dr Moyeen said lakhs of people of the then East Pakistan shed their blood and sacrificed their lives for an independent Bangladesh, democracy and economic emancipation.
“But Awami League has killed democracy prematurely, betraying the crores of people of this country. They have destroyed the economy of Bangladesh through extreme corruption,” he said.
After 52 years of independence, Moyeen said the 180 million people of Bangladesh have to ask the Awami League why it has established a one-party dictatorial government in Bangladesh by destroying the ideology of the Liberation War when it claims to be the pro-liberation war forces.
Later, they also placed wreaths at the grave of their party’s founder Ziaur Rahman, at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the capital.
The BNP leaders also offered a munajat seeking salvation for Zia's departed soul.
Standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Selima Rahaman, Vice Chairman Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, Joint Secretary General Mahbubuddin Khokon, central leaders Abdul, Mosrafizur Rahman Babu, Taiful Islam Tipu, Rafique Shikdar, and Nipun Roy were, among others, present.
BNP's different units and associate bodies are also marking the day with various programs across the country. Earlier in the morning, they hoisted the national and party flags atop the party offices, marking Victory Day.