Thousands of activists belonged to three front organisations of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have gathered in New Paltan area in Dhaka for a youth rally on Wednesday.
The rally, projected to be a massive one with an estimated turnout of at least 15 lakh, was called by Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.
Earlier, on April 28, the three BNP wings announced a series of four youth rallies and four seminars across the country’s 10 divisions. The initiative aims to politically empower the youth and prepare them to play an active role in building a just and inclusive state structure.
The programme, which commenced on May 9 in Chattogram, has already been held in Khulna and Bogura and will conclude today with the final rally.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to address the Dhaka rally virtually as the chief guest and present the party’s political roadmap and future strategies to the country’s youth.
Senior BNP leaders, including Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Salahuddin Ahmed, are also scheduled to speak at the event.
On Tuesday, at a press conference held at the BNP central office in Nayapaltan, President of Swechchhasebak Dal SM Jilani said, “We saw an overwhelming response from youths at our Chattogram rally. We successfully met our targets in Khulna and Bogura as well.”
He further informed that youths from Dhaka, Sylhet, Faridpur, and Mymensingh are expected to participate in the rally to ensure its success.
“Young people are eagerly waiting for the rally. With their spontaneous participation, they will voice their principal demand — the restoration of democracy — after being deprived of voting rights for the past 17 years,” Jilani added.
He noted that the rally would mark a forward step in the ongoing movement for restoring the political rights of the youth under the leadership of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.