BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman urged voters to remain “united like in 1971” to secure victory for the party in the 12 February parliamentary election.
Addressing an election rally at the Circuit House Ground in Mymensingh on Tuesday afternoon, he recalled the 1971 Liberation War, saying independence was achieved through collective sacrifice, and added that students and people from all walks of life protected that freedom on 5 August 2024.
Whether in 1971 or 2024, Rahman said, people did not distinguish between hills and plains or among communities. “Everyone stood side by side on the streets, and everyone fought together in 1971. No one asked who was Muslim, Christian, or from another faith,” he said, calling for unity beyond religion and ethnicity in the upcoming election.
The BNP chief said unity had enabled the nation to achieve independence and end autocracy, and that sustained unity would guide Bangladesh towards its desired future. He said the guiding slogan should be: “Work we shall do, build the nation we shall, Bangladesh first,” adding that progress depended on unity.
Calling on voters to guard polling centres, he urged them to queue early, vote as soon as polling begins, and remain at the centres to ensure the process is conducted properly.
Rahman said people had long been denied voting rights and that ballots were looted in the past, urging vigilance to prevent any repeat. When he asked whether the crowd could remain alert, the audience responded “yes,” prompting him to say, “Inshallah.”
Outlining BNP plans, Rahman spoke of family cards for women, farmer cards for farmers, health cards for all, and measures to address unemployment, seeking votes for the party’s Sheaf-of-Paddy candidates to implement the programmes.
Introducing 23 BNP candidates from Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Netrokona, and Sherpur, he urged voters to elect them so they could serve the people, as party leaders and activists from the four districts joined the rally in processions.
Rahman arrived in Mymensingh by road at around 3:30pm, with security personnel facing difficulty escorting his convoy due to the large crowd, while his wife, Zubaida Rahman, was present on the stage alongside BNP candidates from the Mymensingh division.
The rally was presided over by South District convener and Mymensingh-5 candidate Zakir Hossain Babul and conducted by city member secretary Rukunuzzaman Sarkar and North District joint convener Motahar Hossain, with BNP Organising Secretary Shariful Alam and district and city leaders also addressing the gathering.
After the rally, Rahman left Mymensingh to attend two more election rallies at Gazipur Rajbari Ground and in Uttara.
