The leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka North City unit on Sunday marched towards the capital's Bosila from Shyamoli to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain formally inaugurated the programme at Shyamoli Club Ground around 2:35pm on Sunday.
The march ended at Bosila Saat Rasta intersection at around 4:30 pm after parading nearly a four-kilometre stretch of the road via Mohammapur Ring Road, Shia Mosque, Taj Mahal Road, Noorjahan Road, BRTC Bus Stop and Allah Karim Mosque Road.
In a brief address prior to launching the march, Mosharraf said their party has been on a movement peacefully to realise the demands of the country’s people. “That’s why people are making our every programme a success with their spontaneous participation. The country’s people no longer want to see Awami League in power."
He said the government is resorting to various repressive acts to suppress the opposition leaders and activists as it has got afraid of their ongoing movement. “But we would like to say the government will not be able to resist this movement.”
The BNP leader warned that the government would face a Sri Lanka-like fate as people are taking to the streets to ensure its fall. “People won’t spare you. People won’t forgive you if you try to hang onto cling to power by force."
Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies joined the programme, carrying banners, national and party flags, festoons and portraits of the party's top leaders.
A huge number of law enforcers were deployed in the area to maintain law and order and fend off any untoward incidents
It was the first programme of BNP’s second round of the march programme in the capital.
On February 7, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced a two-day fresh march programme in the capital for February 9 and 12.
As part of the programme, the leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka South City unit were supposed to march towards the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) from Gopibagh in the capital at 2pm on Thursday, to mount pressure on the government to accept their 10-point demand.
But the party postponed Thursday’s march programme in the capital, expressing solidarity with the victims of the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.
Earlier, leaders and activists of the party’s Dhaka north and south city units observed the march programme on January 28, 31, 30 and February 1, respectively, to push for their 10-point demand.
The party also observed a march programme in all unions across the country on Saturday amid attacks and obstruction allegedly by the ruling party activists and law enforcers.