BNP affiliates start ‘long march’ towards Agartala

The programme is being held in protest of the attack on the Bangladeshi mission in Agartala and the desecration of the country’s flag

Three BNP affiliate organisations - the Jubo Dal, the Swechchhasebak Dal and the Chhatra Dal – have started a ‘long march’ programme from Dhaka to Agartala.

The convoy began its journey after a brief rally at the party’s headquarters in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan around 9am on Wednesday.

Jubo Dal President M Munayem Munna and General Secretary Nurul Islam Nayan, Swechchhasebak Dal President SM Zilani and General Secretary Rajib Ahsan, and Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir and other members of the organisational leadership are taking part in the programme.

Jibo Dal leader Munna said: "We are holding this long march peacefully to express our protest, anger and rage. We will go till Akhaura... We will conclude our programme through a rally there."

Thousands of leaders and activists of the three organisations are participating in the long march, travelling in microbuses and private cars.

Hundreds of microbuses and private cars are lined up from the Nightingale Restaurant intersection in Kakrail to the Fakirerpul petrol pump. Each car has a 'Long March' sticker and is also decorated with the national flag of Bangladesh and the BNP party flag.

The long march will travel along the Ittefaq intersection, the Signboard area, Chattogram Road, the Kanchpur intersection, Tarabo, Bhulta, Gausia, Madhabdi, Itakhola, Morjal, and Raruicha before holding a rally on the road in Bhairab. From there, it will head to Akhaura.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi formally inaugurated the long march programme.

Chhatra Dal’s Rakib presided over the short rally at Naya Paltan, moderated by Swechchhasebak Dal’s Rajib and Chhatra Dal’s Nasir. The other senior leaders also spoke.

On Dec 8, the three BNP affiliate organisations had held a protest march to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka’s Baridhara in protest of the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala and the desecration of the national flag.