BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday alleged that the government is having nightmares of losing power since it has no confidence in the country’s people.

'We want to hold a rally at Nayapaltan peacefully on December 10. But they (AL) have lost sleep in fear of losing their power. They themselves are saying that their thrones will be overturned,” he said.

Speaking at a massive rally, the BNP leader also BNP had many rallies at Nayapaltan, even in presence of party chairperson Khaleda Zia, earlier without any chaos.

“You (AL) know you’ve committed many misdeeds. You have no confidence in people. So, you are also sacred and having nightmares that Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman are coming (to power),” he observed.

Fakhrul said the government has been carrying out various occurrences and filing false and fictitious cases against the BNP leaders and activists.

“They’ve now started staging the drama of militants. They create militants for their own needs. They also set fire to buses and indulge in arson violence for their own interests. This is the Awami League.”

As part of the party’s divisional programme, BNP’s Rajshahi city unit arranged the rally on Rajshahi Madrasa ground in the city.

No polls without caretaker govt

Fakhrul categorically said the next national election must be held under a neutral caretaker government. “Otherwise, no election will be held in the country.”

Referring to Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader’s remark that the election will be arranged as per the constitution, the BNP leader said the ruling party has repeatedly amended the constitution to hang onto power.

“The constitution that you have amended repetitively for your own interest can’t continue,” he said.

The BNP leader recalled that Awami League enforced hartal for 173 days and killed many people in the name of its movement for the introduction of the caretaker government system in the country.

“But they abolished this system after coming to power as they realised that they would not be able to retain power with the votes of people,” he said.

AL becomes party of looters

Fakhrul said the ruling party leaders and activists have long been indulging in widespread plundering and corruption. “Awami League is no longer a political party. It has become a party of plunderers. They’re amassing huge wealth through looting while the common people are becoming poorer.”

He said some farmers in Pabna were arrested and taken to jail a few days back for their failure to repay the loans of Tk 25,000 from a state-owned bank. “They (AL leaders) are depleting the banks by looting thousands of crores of taka. But no action is being taken against them.”

The BNP leader said a huge amount of money was taken away from Islami Bank in the name of some ‘ghost’ companies. “The government is systematically destroying the economy. They also destroyed our political structure.”

People want to get rid of monster

Fakhrul thanked the people of the Rajshahi division as they made the rally a huge success with their spontaneous support enduring suffering and defying various obstacles and adversities.

'For the last three days, many of you experienced the cold wind of the Padma River, but no one of you moved a single point from here. You’re staying for three days here amid various adversities. The only reason behind it is that you want to get rid of the terrible monster,” he told the rally.

The BNP leader said many BNP leaders were killed, made disappear, jailed, maimed and repressed during the rule of the current Awami League regime as they wanted to eliminate the opposition. “This is the character of Awami government.”

He called upon people from all walks of life, especially the youth, to put up a strong resistance against the government’s all repressive acts for restoring democracy and voting rights.

Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies from eight districts under the division participated in the rally.

The leaders and activists from Natore, Bogura, Pabna, Sirajganj, Naogaon, Joypurhat and Chapainawabganj started arriving at the rally venue in processions since morning, braving transport strikes.

Law enforcers took adequate measures to maintain the law and order situation in and around the city centering the rally and set up check-posts at all entry points.

The bus communication remained halted between Rajshahi and other parts of the country since Thursday morning,

BNP activists from the districts under the divisions came to the city by train, trucks, boats and other vehicles like human haulers, auto rickshaws, three-wheelers, motorbikes, and micro-buses from Wednesday.

Transport owners and workers enforced the strike in eight districts under the Rajshahi division for an indefinite period from Thursday, causing immense suffering to commuters.

Besides, the Rajshahi auto-rickshaw owners association also enforced an indefinite strike on Friday afternoon. BNP leaders alleged that the strikes are meant for obstructing mass waves toward their rally.

The rally in Rajshahi was the 9th one by BNP at the divisional level as eight others were held in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna, Rangpur, Barishal and Faridpur, Sylhet and Cumilla.

A similar strike was also enforced ahead of BNP’s divisional rallies in Sylhet, Faridpur, Barishal, Rangpur and Khulna, but thousands of party leaders, activists and supporters participated in the rallies overcoming the obstacles.

As part of the move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities. The party will conclude the divisional programmes by holding its last rally in Dhaka on December 10.

The organisers said the rallies are meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.