The Sylhet city unit of BNP boycotted the civic reception hosted by the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) in honour of President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in Sylhet on Tuesday.
Emdad Hossain Chowdhury, general secretary of the unit, said BNP and its affiliated organisations under the unit decided to boycott the programme over what he described as the organisers’ “arbitrary conduct” and the failure to form a proper citizens’ committee for the reception.
Nasim Hossain, president of the unit BNP, said no leaders or activists from the unit attended the event.
Party leaders said they welcomed the President’s visit to Sylhet and took part in welcoming him at different points in the city, but decided not to attend the main reception because of their objections to how it was organised.
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir arrived in Sylhet on Tuesday morning on a daylong visit to pay homage at the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and Hazrat Shah Paran (RA).
The aircraft carrying the President landed at Osmani International Airport at 11:29am.
Members of Parliament from different constituencies in Sylhet, district administration officials and senior leaders of various political parties welcomed him at the airport.
This was President first visit to Sylhet since assuming office.