The BNP has chalked out elaborate programmes in observance of its 36th founding anniversary in the capital and elsewhere across the country on Monday.
Besides, the party’s front bodies and several other pro-BNP organizations will also mark the day with various programmes.
The programmes include discussion, hoisting national and party flag, placing wreaths at the grave of party founder and taking out colourful procession.
The party and national flags will be hoisted atop all the offices of the BNP across the country, including the Nayapaltan central office, in the early hours on Monday.
BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia along with the party leaders and activists will place wreaths and offer Fateha at the mazar of the party founder President Ziaur Rahman at 10:00 am on the day.
As part of a three-day programme, announced by the central BNP, a discussion was held at the National Press Club yesterday. A documentary on the party’s activities and achievements was also screened in the discussion programme.
On Tuesday, the party will bring out a colourful procession from in front of the Nayapaltan central office.
On September 1 in 1978, Ziaur Rahman had formed the BNP with a 19-point programme to build a self-reliant Bangladesh. BNP ruled the country for several terms. After Ziaur Rahman’s assassination in 1981, his widow Khaleda Zia took the helm of the party. She became the country’s first female Prime Minister after winning the 1991 general elections.
On the occasion of the founding anniversary, Khaleda Zia and the party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have issued separate messages, greeting the countrymen and party leaders and activists.
In her message, Khaleda Zia said that Ziaur Rahman had formed the BNP when the country was passing through a crisis moment. A political vacuum was created following the establishment of the BAKSAL (one-party) rule and the BNP played vital role to restore multi-party democracy, she said.
In the last 36 years, the BNP was elected for several times to govern the country and the party worked for the welfare and prosperity of the country and its people. The party is still continuing the responsibility, she added.
Saying that the present government is walking towards the one-party rule again, Khaleda Za said that her party would perform the duty like the past. Terming the newly formed Broadcast Policy as anti-people, she said that the policy is one of the steps of the government to establish BAKSAL. She urged all to take preparation to launch strong movement against the policy as well as to restore the democracy in the country again.
The BNP chief said that her party is determined to safeguard the country’s independence and sovereignty. The party had led the movement against the nine-year old anti-autocracy movement and restored the democracy from the autocrat. She said the democracy is now dead following the January-5 election. “We have to fight again to restore the democracy,” she said.
Mentioning different killings in the recent time, she said that a ‘reign of murder’ has been established in the country. None is safe in the hands of the present government, she claimed.
Khaleda Zia alleged that abduction, murder and other terrible incidents are on the rise alarmingly in the country because the government has kept its eyes shut. For this reason, the culprits disappear safely after committing crimes, she added.
She said that the poor performance of the government in protecting the country’s citizens has been reflected in the brutal killing of Maulana Nurul Islam Faruqi. “The people are not safe under the current illegitimate government. They are passing their days in panic due to the extreme deterioration of law and order and increase of murder across the country,” she said.
The BNP chief observed that the government was sponsoring killers and godfathers in the country in a bid to create panic among the people, as it (government) came to the power illegally and it aimed at sustaining in the power with the support of the terrorists and the godfathers.
The people have not any confidence with the government. So, the terrorists and the godfathers are the last hope of the government, she said. She warned that one day this government would have to pay a lot due to the ongoing ‘bloodshed’ and ‘killing’ across the country.
