Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Friday urged the people to join the ‘march for democracy’ in the capital on Sunday braving all obstacles to ‘establish’ democracy.
She urged her party leaders and activists to continue with the programme of ‘march for democracy’ and the movement even in her absence.
Khaleda made the call in a video statement broadcast on private television channels Friday afternoon. She requested the people to converge in front of the BNP central office at Naya Paltan on Sunday carrying the national flag to ‘establish’ democracy.
Her call came within hours after Dhaka Metropolitan Police said it would not permit BNP to hold a rally in front of the party central office at Naya Paltan on Sunday for ‘security’ of the city dwellers.
Khaleda hoped that the people would attend the rally in Dhaka on December 29 defying all obstacles and adversity.
She urged the people to unite and say ‘no’ to the ‘farcical’ election the government was going to hold on January 5 and to say ‘yes’ to democracy and election under a neutral government.
The BNP chairperson told her party leaders and activists that she had been with them and would always remain with them. ‘Continue with the programme and movement even in case I cannot remain beside you. Our movement would continue until the government exits,’ Khaleda told her party leaders and activists in the video statement.
She said her party had established democracy in the country and would again bring it. ‘Inshallah the day is not far away. Our victory is a must.’
On December 24, Khaleda announced ‘march to Dhaka’ she called ‘march for democracy’ for December 29 to press the government to stop holding of a unilateral election on January 5.
After the announcement of the programme, police were deployed in front of Khaleda’s house and her office at Gulshan.
