l the obstructions. Party leaders and activists became upset as they are thinking that the Gazipur rally was the first challenge for BNP and Khaleda Zia, in which they failed, sources added. When asked whether BNP was defeated in its first challenge against the government by not holding the Gazipur rally, BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman told daily sun “It is not correct to see the incident in such point of view. We are staging protest for not allowing us to hold the programme.” “We have enforced successful hartal on Saturday to protest the restrictions on our rally in Gazipur and we have called nationwide hartal for Monday. We want to hold our programmes peacefully, not violently,” he added. The BNP-led coalition was scheduled to hold a public rally at Bhawal Badre Alom Government Degree College ground on Saturday. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was scheduled to address the rally as chief guest. The local administration imposed section 144, banning all political programmes in and around the college ground from 2:00pm on Friday until further announcement following counter programmes announced by Chhatra League on the same venue. Gazipur district unit BCL recently warned that they would not allow Khaleda Zia to enter the district and hold the rally until her elder son Tarique Rahman apologises for making derogatory remarks on Bangabandhu. On the other hand, following the BCL threat, the local and central leaders of the BNP-led alliance repeatedly expressed determination to hold the rally at any cost. Addressing a press conference on Friday morning at the chairperson’s Gulshan office, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir declared that the scheduled rally would be held in Gazipur at any cost. But finally Khaleda changed her decision to attend the Gazipur rally on Saturday while the alliance called a daylong hartal in Gazipur district and countrywide demonstration for Saturday, protesting the imposition of section 144 by the local administration on the rally venue. A number of BNP leaders and activists said the Gazipur public rally was a challenge for Khaleda Zia as the BNP high command has been telling that she would go to the rally venue at any cost and will address the programme on the scheduled date. “Unfortunately, the BNP high command retreated from holding the rally in Gazipur. The party leaders and activists expected that Khaleda Zia would go to Gazipur on Saturday and would deliver her speech on the spot where she would be stopped by the law enforcers,” a BNP leader told daily sun on condition of anonymity. “May be our leaders did not want to take risk as they are not prepared to create any resistance against the government and to face any challenge. Such decision of retreating from programme makes the party men unhappy and frustrated as it is some kind of defeat at the beginning of a new phase of movement to oust the government,” he added. A number of leaders and activists of Gazipur unit of BNP-led alliance said Khaleda should have changed the date of the rally or hold the rally in another venue in the district on Saturday. “Hartal is the easiest agitation programme for BNP as the top leaders announce the programme and go to safe places to avoid arrest. No top leaders were found in the field during the hartal. Even they are not in Gazipur to make the Saturday’s shutdown successful,” another BNP leader said. “BNP was actually defeated in the first challenge against the government. Now we are doubtful whether the next course of movement will be successful,” he added. Meanwhile, retreating from attending the rally, the 20-party alliance called dawn-to-dusk hartal in Gazipur district which was also ‘flopped’ on Saturday. The leaders and activists of BNP and its other components were not seen in the field during the hartal while many top leaders of Gazipur district BNP stayed in safe place to avoid arrest. The opposition coalition’s countrywide demonstration programme also could not draw attendance of the leaders and workers while the party had hardly staged demonstrations in other parts of the country.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Khaleda’s retreat from Gazipur rally frustrates party men:Daily Sun
l the obstructions. Party leaders and activists became upset as they are thinking that the Gazipur rally was the first challenge for BNP and Khaleda Zia, in which they failed, sources added. When asked whether BNP was defeated in its first challenge against the government by not holding the Gazipur rally, BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman told daily sun “It is not correct to see the incident in such point of view. We are staging protest for not allowing us to hold the programme.” “We have enforced successful hartal on Saturday to protest the restrictions on our rally in Gazipur and we have called nationwide hartal for Monday. We want to hold our programmes peacefully, not violently,” he added. The BNP-led coalition was scheduled to hold a public rally at Bhawal Badre Alom Government Degree College ground on Saturday. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was scheduled to address the rally as chief guest. The local administration imposed section 144, banning all political programmes in and around the college ground from 2:00pm on Friday until further announcement following counter programmes announced by Chhatra League on the same venue. Gazipur district unit BCL recently warned that they would not allow Khaleda Zia to enter the district and hold the rally until her elder son Tarique Rahman apologises for making derogatory remarks on Bangabandhu. On the other hand, following the BCL threat, the local and central leaders of the BNP-led alliance repeatedly expressed determination to hold the rally at any cost. Addressing a press conference on Friday morning at the chairperson’s Gulshan office, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir declared that the scheduled rally would be held in Gazipur at any cost. But finally Khaleda changed her decision to attend the Gazipur rally on Saturday while the alliance called a daylong hartal in Gazipur district and countrywide demonstration for Saturday, protesting the imposition of section 144 by the local administration on the rally venue. A number of BNP leaders and activists said the Gazipur public rally was a challenge for Khaleda Zia as the BNP high command has been telling that she would go to the rally venue at any cost and will address the programme on the scheduled date. “Unfortunately, the BNP high command retreated from holding the rally in Gazipur. The party leaders and activists expected that Khaleda Zia would go to Gazipur on Saturday and would deliver her speech on the spot where she would be stopped by the law enforcers,” a BNP leader told daily sun on condition of anonymity. “May be our leaders did not want to take risk as they are not prepared to create any resistance against the government and to face any challenge. Such decision of retreating from programme makes the party men unhappy and frustrated as it is some kind of defeat at the beginning of a new phase of movement to oust the government,” he added. A number of leaders and activists of Gazipur unit of BNP-led alliance said Khaleda should have changed the date of the rally or hold the rally in another venue in the district on Saturday. “Hartal is the easiest agitation programme for BNP as the top leaders announce the programme and go to safe places to avoid arrest. No top leaders were found in the field during the hartal. Even they are not in Gazipur to make the Saturday’s shutdown successful,” another BNP leader said. “BNP was actually defeated in the first challenge against the government. Now we are doubtful whether the next course of movement will be successful,” he added. Meanwhile, retreating from attending the rally, the 20-party alliance called dawn-to-dusk hartal in Gazipur district which was also ‘flopped’ on Saturday. The leaders and activists of BNP and its other components were not seen in the field during the hartal while many top leaders of Gazipur district BNP stayed in safe place to avoid arrest. The opposition coalition’s countrywide demonstration programme also could not draw attendance of the leaders and workers while the party had hardly staged demonstrations in other parts of the country.
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