BNP’s rally must be held at Nayapaltan: Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday said their much-talked-about grand rally must be held in front of their Nayapaltan party office on October 28.

Speaking at a press conference, he also said the officials of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) are issuing various threats in tune with the ministers centring the BNP rally as they have been working as ‘musclemen’ of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“The DMP officials have said the BNP must hold rallies wherever permission is given. This statement manifested that the people of Bangladesh are now subjugated and political parties’ all activities and freedom of expression will now depend on police clearance,” the BNP leader said.

He said their party has almost completed all the preparations for holding the grand rally in front of BNP’s Nayapalantha central office in Dhaka on October 28. “The rally will surely be held at Nayapaltan with the unprecedented participation of people from all walks of life. This (Nayapaltan) is the right place where we had peaceful rallies several times.”

The BNP leader said people all over the country are determined to rush towards Dhaka braving continued mass arrest and all repressive acts to join the rally with a strong commitment to restore democracy.

“Police officers are employees of the republic, not the owners of the country. How do they decide where the meeting of a political party will be? BNP is a responsible political party, which has experience running the country several times. Does the BNP not know where to hold the rally?” he said.

The BNP leader said the DMP officials’ remark about BNP’s rally permission is tantamount to a direct obstruction and interference in the programme of political parties.

He said the anger of the ‘illegitimate’ prime minister and the police against opposition parties, including the BNP, is equally manifesting through their different comments.

“They (PM and police) think people who belong to all political parties, except Awami League, are second-class citizens. The law enforcers, including the police, are literally working as Sheikh Hasina‍‍`s musclemen,” Rizvi said.

He also said that the ruling party leaders and police officers want to make Dhaka city a place of fear with their statements and threats centring the October-28 grand rally of the BNP.

He said that the members of RAB are harassing people in the name of search at the entry points of the capital by setting up checkpoints while police members of the police are raiding the houses of the BNP leaders and activists and their relatives, and arresting them and assaulting the family members in various ways.