The Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the labour wing of the BNP, is set to hold a major workers' rally in the capital this afternoon, marking history May Day.
Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is scheduled to address the rally, which will begin at 2:30pm in front of the BNP's central office at Nayapaltan.
The party expects the spontaneous participation of hundreds of thousands of workers.
The programme will be chaired by Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal President Anwar Hossain. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, party Standing Committee members and labour leaders are also expected to speak.
All preparations for the rally have already been completed. Besides, several meetings have been held with the administration to ensure overall security.
Although adverse weather and overnight rain left many roads in Dhaka waterlogged, people have already started arriving at the venue since morning. Organisers expect the crowd to swell as the day progresses.
A mobile stage has been set up at the rally venue, and security personnel are conducting checks around the area ahead of the Prime Minister’s arrival.
According to Sramik Dal sources, the road from Fakirerpool to Kakrail will remain closed on the day, with vehicles being diverted through alternative routes. Special arrangements have been made to ensure the movement of emergency services, particularly ambulances.
Free medical camps and mobile toilet facilities have also been arranged for party activists and members of the public attending the rally.
This is the BNP's first major party programme in the capital since forming the government after securing a landslide victory in the 13th parliamentary election.
Leaders and activists from Dhaka and neighbouring districts, including Narayanganj, Gazipur, Manikganj and Narsingdi, are expected to join the rally.
Labour leaders believe the event will not only focus on workers' rights and welfare but also help boost the morale of leaders and activists of the party's associate bodies.
At a press conference at the BNP's Nayapaltan office on Thursday, Prime Minister's Political Adviser and BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the rally had been organised to uphold workers' rights on the occasion of May Day, also known as International Workers' Solidarity Day.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi expressed hope that a massive wave of workers would descend on Dhaka for the event.
May Day commemorates the sacrifice of workers who laid down their lives in Chicago in 1886 while demanding fair wages, dignity of labour and an eight-hour workday.
The day is observed with due respect in Bangladesh and all other countries in the world as a symbol of workers' rights and solidarity.