BNP affiliates' youth rally draws thousands of people at Naya Paltan

Tarique Rahman, the chief guest of the rally, will join virtually from London

Thousands of activists of the BNP’s affiliate organisations Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal have converged on Dhaka’s Naya Paltan for a “youth rally” .

The event, the culmination of a month-long mobilisation campaign, saw the area around the BNP’s central office transformed, with a stage erected opposite the premises.

A large screen was set up to broadcast a virtual address by the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman from London.

Crowds began assembling from the late morning, with groups of supporters marching in processions from Kakrail to Fakirapool from around 1pm. The rally officially began at 3:30pm with a recitation from the Quran.

Jubo Dal President Abdul Monayem Munna is presiding over the event, with top leaders from the BNP and its three youth affiliates present on stage. Tarique will deliver his speech as the chief guest via video link.

Supporters from various regions, including Faridpur, Sylhet, and Mymensingh, arrived in Dhaka carrying national and party flags.

Many wore colourful caps and chanted slogans such as “Youths are BNP’s vanguard”.

Ahead of the speeches, members of the BNP’s cultural wing Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (JaSaS) performed a musical segment to energise the crowd.

Speaking to bdnews24.com prior to the rally, Monayem said: “Our month-long programme across the country has been largely successful. It has awakened the youths.”

The BNP’s youth mobilisation campaign included a series of seminars and rallies across four zones representing the party’s 10 organisational divisions.

Prior events were held in Chattogram (May 9-10), Khulna (May 16-17), and Bogura (May 23-24), with Wednesday’s rally in Dhaka serving as the closing programme.