AL to stay on streets entire month

Apart from preparing for the election, the Awami League will tighten its grip on the streets throughout September by organising political programmes on a regular basis.

The AL high-ups believe that the BNP will hold several programmes this month to realise its one-point demand for the removal of AL from power and elections under a non-partisan government and that is why the ruling party wants to stay on the streets with its programmes, sources said.

The AL wants to flaunt its strength and popularity today through Bangladesh Chhatra League's, pro-AL student body, rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan and tomorrow at another rally at the old trade fair ground centring the inauguration of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.

It plans to gather 5 lakh people for the programmes. 

AL Joint General Secretary Bahauddin Nasim told The Daily Star that the party would be on the streets until the election.

"We along with the people will be on the streets so that no evil force can deteriorate law and order. We will not allow BNP to carry out any destructive activities and if the party tries to do so, we will resist them," he added.

The AL's election-related activities will be in full swing in October and party President Sheikh Hasina will join rallies in different parts of the country, the sources said.

The prime minister will inaugurate a number of infrastructure projects in October and her party will organise rallies centring the inaugurations. It will also publicise the achievements across the country.

Hasina will not be in the country for about half of the month. She will be in New Delhi between September 8 and 10 to join the G20 Summit and in New York for 13 days from September 17 to join the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

During her absence, the AL will publicise the government's achievements since 2009 and hold mass contact programmes and rallies across the country, the sources said, adding that the party's front and associate bodies will have their own programmes.

Jubo League, the youth front of the AL, is also planning to hold a massive rally in the capital.

Hasina will address the Chhatra League rally scheduled for 3:00pm today.

The student body conducted rigorous offline and online campaigns across the country to make the rally a success and gather the people.

Its central committee has asked Chhatra League units, even those at educational institutions, to send a certain number of activists to the rally.

According to Chhatra League insiders, the units have been asked to explain to the central committee if they fail to send the number of people requested. The unit sending the most people would be rewarded, they said.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Chhatra League President Saddam Hussain said, "We are going to have the biggest student gathering in recent times … The message of 'no compromise with the killers' will be conveyed through the student rally."

Tomorrow's "citizen's rally" at the old trade fair ground will be organised by Dhaka city AL units (north and south) at 3:30pm.

They to aim to get 5 lakh people for the rally which representatives of foreign countries, donor organisations, and civil society members will join.

Sources said 11 district AL units of Dhaka division and Narayanganj and Ghazipur city units have been asked to send a certain number of people to the rally.

Two Dhaka city units were asked to send 100,000 people each while the Dhaka district unit 50,000. The other district units were asked to send on an average 30,000 people.