The ruling Awami League will hold peace rallies across the country today to denounce the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s dawn-to-dusk general strike.
Addressing as chief guest the ‘peace and development’ rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram in the capital on Saturday, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader announced to hold peace rallies in all cities, districts and upazilas as the BNP declared the countrywide general strike, protesting at the attacks on their Saturday’s grand rally at Naya Paltan, allegedly by the AL and police.
‘I declare that no one will accept their [BNP] anarchic hartal. Hartal as an arm for movement has lost its sharpness. We will hold peace rallies across Bangladesh, including all cities, districts, thanas and upazilas tomorrow… We want peace before the election, during the election and after the election,’ said Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister.
He urged all leaders and activists to remain vigilant, saying that the BNP has finally showed their old face by carrying out ‘extremist’ acts in front of the nation.
He also posed a question asking where the BNP and its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir fled since he was supposed to oust the government on October 28 and said that all their attempts turned out flop.
‘Who attacked the chief justice’s residence, killed a police member and set police box and hospital on fire? The game will be played against them,’ he said.
He also alleged that the BNP attacked AL leaders and activists and the police as well.
The rally, jointly organised by the AL Dhaka north city and south city units, began at about 11:30am through cultural performances by the state-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar artists.
Leaders and activists of the ruling AL and its associate bodies thronged at the rally venue with separate processions from different areas, carrying hockey sticks, wooden and aluminum sticks, cricket stumps and national flags tied on the sticks.
At about 3:00pm, a sudden chaos ensued with a large number of ruling party activists running towards the stage as a rumor spread that the BNP activists attacked them from the back, while in the uproar the seating arrangements for journalists at the venue were broken down.
Shortly, ruling party presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak and joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim dissipated the tension, chanting slogans and asking all not to be afraid.
Addressing the rally, Jahangir Kabir Nanak said, ‘We will remain vigilant against the BNP-Jamaat.’
Another AL presidium member, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said that snake can be trusted but not the BNP-Jamaat.
‘We will resist the BNP hartal in all wards and areas,’ said Dhaka South City mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
AL organising secretary Mirza Azam condemned the main opposition, saying that the BNP is conspiring to oust the government between October 28 and November 5.
The AL is holding rallies apparently to counter the BNP and other opposition political parties’ movement to topple the government and hold the forthcoming national elections under a non-party caretaker government.
Chaired by AL Dhaka South City unit president Abu Ahmed Mannafi, AL presidium members Abdur Rahman and Kamrul Islam and joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, among others, addressed the rally.
AL Dhaka South City unit in a press release said that the party’s main peace rally will be held in front of its headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka at 2:00pm today with AL general secretary Obaidul Quader to be present as chief guest.
