Ignoring the 36-hour transport strike, leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations have started to arrive in Rangpur to attend the much-hyped divisional rally.
BNP Vice Chairman AZM Zahid Hossain spoke to journalists at a press briefing at the Rangpur Collectorate ground on Friday.
He said, "As the transport strike began from Friday 6:00am, the party men of Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Nilphamari left for Rangpur early in the morning to join the mass gathering. They took shelter in different hotels and mess, but the police are harassing our party leaders in the hotels."
"Not only are our leaders and activists but also general people are coming on cycle and on foot from different areas to participate to our rally. It proves that people of the country are not with this government," he said.
The rally has been organized to protest against 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 demanding the freeing of all BNP imprisoned leaders and activist along with party Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Though the bus communication remained halted between Rangpur and the rest of the country since Friday morning, BNP activists from eight nearby districts were seen coming to different areas adjacent to the city by small vehicles like human haulers, auto rickshaws, three-wheelers, motorbikes, and micro-buses a day before the rally.
A number of BNP activists said they arrived in Rangpur city and its adjacent areas in advance to avert possible obstruction and harassment by the ruling party men and law enforcers on Saturday.
Only a few buses from Dhaka came to Rangpur on Friday, but no bus was seen leaving the Rangpur Bus Terminal for any destination since morning, causing serious sufferings to commuters. Inter-district bus services to and from Rangpur also remained halted due to the strike. The buses from other districts could not enter Rangpur since Friday morning.
BNP Nilphamary District Treasurer, Md Shariful Islam said that a total of 120 vehicles including buses and trucks have left for Rangpur so far.
They complained of facing obstructions at Syedpur, Taraganj, Shaleyasha, Paglapir and other places.
District Chhatra Dal President Maruf Parvez told the media that around 50 of them reached Pagalpi bus stand near Rangpur around 10:00am when a group of Chhatra League stopped them.
Maruf said at one point, when the leaders and activists of BNP and other organizations protested, they were forced to go back.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Additional Police Commissioner Md Saifuzzaman Farukey said, "The Collectorate field is also big. Moreover, this field is under the coverage of CC cameras. Verbally we have allowed them to use the Collectorate ground so that they can hold their rally safely."
BNP has not received written permission to hold a rally till writing of this report at 9;30pm on Friday.
As part of its move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a programmes, including a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.
Saturday's rally will be the fourth by the BNP at the divisional level as the first one was held in Chattogram, the second one in Mymensingh and the third one in Khulna.
Similar rallies have been planned in other divisional headquarters to drum up support in the run-up to the next election expected to be held late next year or in early 2024.
The BNP will conclude the divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
