Founding anniv of BNP today

BNP celebrates its 38th founding anniversary today but in a simple manner.

To mark the occasion, the party, which is apparently in disarray, has no plan to bring out any colourful procession anywhere, BNP sources said.

Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia along with her leaders and activists would place wreaths and offer prayers at Ziaur Rahman's grave in the capital this morning. A discussion will be held later in the afternoon.

Late Major General Ziaur Rahman founded the party in 1978 while he was in power, in an apparent move to consolidate his rule.

After Zia's assassination in 1981, Abdus Sattar-led BNP government remained in power for a brief period.

HM Ershad, an army chief-turned-president, seized power in a military coup on March 24, 1982, ousting the elected government of President Abdus Sattar.

After nine years movement against the Ershad's autocratic rule, BNP again came to power under the leadership of Khaleda following resignation of the autocratic government of Ershad in 1990.

The party later also came to power in 2001 for a five-year term.

Country's one of the two major political parties, BNP kept out of parliament for the first time in 2014 since restoration of  democracy in 1991 as it boycotted the national election under the Awami League-led government held on January 5, 2014.

The BNP-led alliance also failed to resist the polls.

BNP's violent agitations in 2013 and 2015 and repeated failure to materialise its demand to hold election under a caretaker government made the party pay heavily with huge numbers of the party men facing cases or already behind bars. Many central leaders facing cases chose to remain silent.

In such a situation, the party is celebrating its 38th founding anniversary today.

 Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday on the occasion of the anniversary, Khaleda said the law and order situation in the country was "at its worst".

"So our movement is to establish people's right and dignity," she said.