Lavish rally in Sylhet

Over Tk 3 crore has been spent locally for the BNP's Sylhet city rally scheduled for today, said a number of BNP sources requesting anonymity, while some party leaders have a different sum to quote.
Shamsuzzaman Zaman, publicity sub-committee convener of the rally and central vice-president of the Swechchhasebak Dal, said the total expenditure might be about Tk 1 crore or 1.5 crore at the most.
Banners, festoons and billboards cost about Tk 50 lakh while daises, posters and announcements through loudspeakers needed about the same amount, he said, adding that additional costs could come to another Tk 50 lakh.
The MP aspirants are spending their own money for billboards and signboards, he added.
“Aspirants for party nomination in different constituencies have hung most of the banners and signboards using their own portraits along with those of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia,” said city BNP vice-president Nasim Hossain.
They have been asked to arrange transport for people from their own areas on the day of the rally, which is why the party expenditure is lesser this time, he added.
Media sub-committee convener Rezaul Hasan Lodi, also city BNP organising secretary, said about 100 arches were erected by the party's district and city units and the components of BNP-led 18-party alliance.
Other organisations associated with the alliance have built another one thousand arches outside the city at their own expense, he added. Lodi could not specify the amount of money spent for the purpose.
Alongside former lawmakers of BNP, a good number of new aspirants have put up billboards and signboards on different roads, especially those that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's motorcade would take to reach the venue and back.
The aspirants include former foreign secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, businessperson Khandaker Abdul Muktadir and Shamsuzzaman Zaman.
Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia will address the rally in the city's Alia Madrasa ground this afternoon to drum up support for the party's demand that the upcoming elections be held under a neutral caretaker government.
She was slated to arrive in the city late last night.
City and district unit BNP leaders said over five lakh people from different areas of Sylhet division are expected to join the rally.
Some of the signboards put up in the city demand to know the whereabouts of district BNP president and central organising secretary Ilias Ali, who has remained missing since April 17 last year.
SM Rokon Uddin, additional commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said security measures have been beefed up in the city and around the venue of the rally.