BNP men gather in Khulna for Saturday's rally

The leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have started gathering in front of the party office in Khulna to join the party's third divisional rally scheduled to be held on Saturday (22 October).

Around 10pm Friday (21 October), BNP leaders and activists appeared in groups at Sonali Bank Chattar in the city, said executive committee member of Khulna Metropolitan BNP Mizanur Rahman. He said a stage has already been prepared where the leaders and activists will stay at night.

The BNP leader said that the party men had to defy different sorts of obstacles, including hindrances from the leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League and its associate bodies and shortage of vehicles, on the way to join the rally.

Photo: TBS

BNP is staging divisional rallies as part of its movement against the price hike of daily essentials, energy crisis and the killing of the party activists. 

Meanwhile, Khulna transport owners have stopped inter-district bus movement and launch services while train tickets are also unavailable. 

Earlier, the same situation happened centering the divisional rally of BNP in Mymensingh on 15 October.

BNP activists said that, having no other choices, they started their journey towards Khulna soon after the announcement so that they could evade the transport strike. 

Some of BNP activists even took water and dry foods, including puffed and flattened rice, with them in fear that the hotels and restaurants might remain closed in Khulna on the rally day.

Meanwhile, the BNP alleged that police arrested some of its leaders in various old cases, apparently to refrain them from joining the mass rally. 

They arrested at least 48 BNP leaders and activists from Jashore in the last two days, according to the party.

However, A day before the BNP's pre-announced rally, Awami League on Friday (21 October) staged various programmes in the city.