Bangladesh Nationalist Party will observe November 7 as ‘National Revolution and Solidarity Day’ today.
Beside a rally in the capital, the party has taken up a 10-day programme that started on November 5 to observe the day.
The party has changed the date of its planned rally at Suhrawardi Udyan from November 8 to November 11, considering the ongoing 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in the city.
The change was announced on Monday.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told New Age that they sent applications to Public Works Department and Dhaka Metropolitan Police seeking permission to hold the rally.
He expressed hope that they would get the permission for the rally.
Earlier, BNP was denied permission for holding a rally in observance of November 7 at Suhrawardi Udyan last year.
Different political and socio-cultural organisations would observe the November 7 on which day in 1975 Bangladesh Army soldiers and people overthrew the then government and freed the then army chief Ziaur Rahman, who was held captive in Dhaka Cantonment.
BNP celebrates the day as ‘national revolution and solidarity day’ while the ruling Awami League observes it as ‘the day of killing of soldiers and freedom fighters’.
Factions of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal observe the day as ‘the day of people and soldiers uprising.’
Different political parties and social and cultural organisations have taken programmes to observe the day.
BNP would hoist the party flag atop all BNP offices across the country including its central office at Nayapaltan in the capital at 6:00am.
Khaleda Zia is scheduled to place wreathes at the grave of Zia at 10:00am.
BNP units across the country would organise discussions and other programmes.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday said it was very urgent that all nationalist forces should get united with the spirit of November 7 to restore democracy and protect national independence and sovereignty.
In a message issued on the occasion of November 7, Khaleda said that November 7 was a historically memorable day in the nation’s life.
She said on this day in 1975 people-soldier poured onto the streets with a determination to protect independence and restore independence.
The post-independence government had introduced one-party BKSAL rule killing people’s freedom of speech, read the message signed by BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Khaleda said that the present ‘unelected’ government was clinging to power through coercion and oppression.
The country’s sovereignty was getting ‘weaker’ day by day due to ‘submissive policy’ of the government, she said.
Source: New Age
