Tag Archives: BNP

MNA National Desk: Different political parties, including ruling Awami League, and other socio-cultural organisations on Friday observed the 16th anniversary of the grisly grenade attack on an Awami League (AL) anti-terrorism rally in the capital on August 21, 2004 in a befitting manner. The AL organized a virtual discussion at its central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka this morning marking the 16th anniversary of the gruesome grenade attack. Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina presided over the discussion through a videoconference from her official Ganabhaban residence. AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader ...

MNA Editorial Desk: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who was released from jail for six months following an executive order, reached her Gulshan residence, ‘Firoza’, on Wednesday afternoon after two years, one month and 16 days. After walking out of the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) where she has been undergoing treatment since April 1 last year, Khaleda started for her Gulshan residence around 4:20 pm. Though the roads were almost empty, it took her nearly an hour to reach Firoza as huge party leaders and activists escorted the vehicle carrying her up to Karwanbazar. The government ...

MNA National Desk: Taking a swipe at Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikyafront, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said those who are unable to keep themselves united want to forge a greater national unity against the government. “It makes me laugh…I feel pity seeing Oikyafront’s messy condition. They’ve long been repeatedly talking about forging a greater national unity. But now there’s no unity in Oikyafront. They’re going to hold a meeting today (Monday) to keep their unity intact,” he said. The minister came up with the remarks while talking to reporters at his Secretariat office, reports UNB. Mahmud said ...

MNA National Desk: BNP leaders and activists formed a human chain in the city on Wednesday protesting start of the maiden session of the 11th parliament. Leaders and followers of the party formed the human chain around 10:30 am in front of the Jatiya Press Club 30 minutes before the scheduled time. Following the human chain, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other party senior leaders are scheduled to address the programme. The leaders and activists were chanting different slogans demanding reelection and release of their chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail. Meanwhile, a huge number of law enforcers ...

MNA National Desk: BNP will discuss with Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and top leaders on its decision to join Dhaka North City Corporation by-polls. “We’ve heard the announcement of DNCC by-election schedule.The party Standing Committee will sit this (Thursday) evening. Decision regarding our participation in the by-polls will be taken after discussion with the Acting Chairman,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The BNP leader came up with the disclosure after offering fateha at the grave of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s younger son Arafat Rahman Koko marking his fourth death anniversary. The by-election to the DNCC’s mayoral post ...

MNA National Desk: Two senior figures in the BNP have pushed for a national council for a radical shake-up in the party leadership after its debacle in general elections. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Moudud Ahmed, vocal leaders who sit on the policy making National Standing Committee, called for the reforms at a discussion chaired by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday. They had a handful of leaders and activists in their audience in the event held at the Supreme Court Bar Association Auditorium in Dhaka. “The party must be restructured through a council. The tested leaders and activists ...

MNA National Desk: Information Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Wednesday that Transparency International Bangladesh or TIB’s so-called report as ‘politically-motivated’ and it merely sides with BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. “There are organisations whose work is to damage our country,” the minister came up with this comment at a briefing held in Chittagong. Hasan Mahmud has dismissed the report which alleged widespread irregularities during the 11th general election. After conducting surveys during voting at 50 among the 300 parliamentary seats across Bangladesh, the TIB found proof of some manner of irregularities in at least 47 of those constituencies, said the report released ...

MNA National Desk: Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which rejected the 30 December parliamentary polls, may join the talks reportedly initiated by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, if demand for cancellation of the election results is made the agenda. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir raised the demand on Monday in response to the prime minister’s overture to the opposition that held talks with her before the general elections won by her party but plagued by allegations of rigging. “We’ll consider joining such a dialogue only if the issue of cancellation of election results is included as the key agenda,” the ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the MPs-elect of BNP to join Parliament for the sake of democracy and to utilize the scope for their return to constructive politics. “BNP should join Parliament for the sake of democracy accepting its defeat in the election,” she said. The Prime Minister said this in her introductory speech at a joint meeting of Awami League Advisory Council and Central Working Committee at the party’s Bangabandhu Avenue central office here. The meeting was held with Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. She also asked the ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The BNP yesterday announced the final list of 298 candidates, including 60 for its allies in the 20-party and the Jatiya Oikyafront. Two other seats — Chottogram-14 and Cox’s Bazar-2 — have been kept for Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed and Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman Azad. Oli will contest the December 30 polls with his party symbol “umbrella” while Azad as an independent candidate. All the 298 others will use BNP’s electoral symbol — “sheaf of paddy”. There are no rebel candidates from the BNP and its allies. Meanwhile, the party has also finalised ...

MNA National Desk: Supporters of the BNP leaders, who were not nominated, resumed their demonstration for the second consecutive day today in front of the party Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka, reported news agency. Nearly 200 supporters of the failed BNP nomination seekers gathered in front of the Gulshan office around noon. As part of their protest, the supporters yesterday pelt stones at Gulshan office and damaged windows of the office. However, a group of aggrieved BNP activists also locked the party’s Nayapaltan office from outside, confining Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed for nearly an hour last ...

MNA National Desk: The Election Commission has kept its decision pending on the appeal filed by jailed BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Feni 1 constituency, reported news agency. The commission kept the decision pending on Saturday, the third and last day of appeal hearing. Two more petitions filed by the BNP chief for Bogra 6 and 7 constituencies will be heard later in the day. On Saturday, appeal hearings of remaining 233 petitions filed by the nominees against the rejection of their candidacies are being held. Khaleda Zia’s nomination papers were rejected last week as she because of her conviction ...

MNA National Desk: The candidacies of BNP leaders Golam Maula Rony, Morshed Milton, and Tamizuddin have been reinstated by the Election Commission—after hearings for their appeal petitions, reported news agency. They are now cleared to contest the upcoming 11th parliamentary election. The decision resulted from the appeal hearings being conducted at the Election Commission building in Dhaka on Thursday. A total of 160 rejected candidates will go through the first phase of the appeal-hearing process. A total of 543 petitions were filed with the Election Commission within stipulated three days till Wednesday challenging the decisions of returning officers over the ...

MNA National Desk: BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas could not submit his nomination paper for Dhaka-9 constituency, reported news agency. Mirza Abbas alleged that his followers went to the office of returning officer timely on Wednesday with the nomination but they did not accept it. But the officers claimed, his supporters came to the office after 5pm. Abdus Salam, election officer for Dhaka-9, said “Abbas’s supporters came with the nomination paper at about 5:45pm. So, it was not accepted. Because, the submission time has ended at 5pm.” Earlier on Tuesday, the BNP leader has submitted his nomination paper for ...

MNA National Desk: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has handed over its certificates of nominations to 800 candidates for 240 of the 300 seats for 11th parliamentary elections scheduled for December 30. Party insiders say it is taking time to finalise its list of 300 candidates, in a preemptive move to counter any ruling party offensive to dissuade the opposition candidates or to distabilise their discipline. Until Tuesday, the BNP camp named around 800 candidates, said party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The alliance partners of the BNP including newly floated Jatiya Oikya Front (National Unity Front) and Jamaat-e-Islami, will ...

MNA National Desk: Nine candidates of Nagorik Oikya, led by Mahmudur Rahman Manna, will contest the 11th general elections with BNP’s poll-symbol, “sheaf of paddy.” Manzur Quader, central leader of the party, confirmed this on Monday night. They will contest with BNP as Nagorik Oikya has no registration, reported news agency. It started distributing the nomination papers to the nominated candidates on Tuesday morning. The nominated aspiratnts are: Mahmudur Rahman Manna (Bogura-2), SM Akram (Narayanganj-5), Fazlul Haque Sarkar (Chandpur-3), Ad. Nazrul Islam (Mymensingh-2), Mobarak Hossain (Brahmanbari-2), Rabiul Islam (Satkhira-2), Shah Md Rahmatullah (Rangpur-1), Mofakhkharul Islam (Rangpur-5) and KM Nurur Rahman ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Hopefully Dec 30 is going to be another landmark in the political history of Bangladesh as the 11th national election is scheduled to be held on that day. Heavy movements and showdowns centering this important political event are going on. Awami League has started its nomination process immediately after election schedule declaration. Jatiyo Oikya Front and other parties followed soon. Aspirant nomination seekers, who started campaign in their respective areas even few months back, of two major alliances turned very active to portray their popularity which even resulted in violation of several rules and regulations of electoral ...

MNA National Desk: Police have arrested six people with alleged ties to vandalism and arson attacks on law-enforcement agencies’ vehicles in Naya Paltan. All of them are linked to Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the opposition BNP, police said on Tuesday. A helmeted man seen on a police car with his arms stretched in a show of defiance during violent clashes on Nov 14 was among the arrestees. The picture of the young man trended on the social media. Police identified him as Md HK Hossain Ali, an adherent to BNP leader Mirza Abbas. Hossain, a resident of ...

MNA National Desk: Jatiya Oikyafront leader Dr Kamal Hossain urged the people to guard polling stations on the election day to protect democracy while mentioning the citizens as the owners of the country. “You’re the owners of the country. You need to wake up to establish your ownership”, he said while addressing a public rally of the Jatiya Oikyafront at Suhrawardy Udyan today, Nov 6. The rally formally started around 1:30pm on Tuesday with recitation from the holy Quran as on Monday, the alliance got conditional permission from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to hold the public rally at Suhrawardy ...

MNA National Desk: BNP, Jatiya Oikya Prokriya and a faction of Jukta Front on Saturday launched a new opposition alliance, ‘Jatiya Oikya Front’, ahead of the 11th national election without Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury. The new alliance envisages realising seven demands, including the resignation of the government, dissolution of parliament, formation of an election-time neutral government and the release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and meeting 11 goals. Dr Kamal Hossain came up with the announcement of the Jatiya Oika Front at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club while Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna ...

MNA National Desk: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) from old Dhaka Central jail on Saturday afternoon for her treatment in response to a court order. She will be taken to the hospital from the jail around 3 pm, said Inspector General of Prison Brigadier General Syed Iftekhan Uddin Ahmed. Meanwhile, Jail Superintendent Iqbal Kabir of Keraniganj Central Jail met Khaleda in the morning. The High Court on Thursday directed the government to immediately admit Khaleda Zia to the BSMMU and form a 5-member medical board afresh for her treatment, reported news ...

MNA National Desk: The BNP has announced a seven-point list of demands, including a general election under a neutral polls-time government, and two days of programmes during its public meeting at Suhrawardy Udyan. Amid speculations on whether BNP will take part in the 11th general election, the party has unveiled its plans for the run-up to the polls while announcing a number of demands and future visions for the country if it returns to power. At a rally in Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan on Sunday, top BNP leaders urged the people to get united to oust the incumbent “undemocratic government” to ...

MNA National Desk: Hundreds of BNP supporters and activists have joined the party’s rally at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and its Standing Committee Member Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain and other senior leaders reached the venue. Following the rally, huge traffic congestion created in different points of the capital, causing immense suffering to people, reported news agency. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police gave permission for the rally on 22 conditions, including the party’s own arrangement of security, when two BNP representatives met DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia around 11:30am yesterday. Police asked the party leaders to end the ...

MNA National Desk: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was finally given permission on Saturday to hold its planned public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital on Sunday. On Monday, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference said that they sought permission from the authorities concerned to hold a public rally either at Suhrawardy Udyan or in front of their party’s Naya Paltan central office on Thursday. But the party rescheduled it on Tuesday for Saturday. Meanwhile, the party on Thursday sought fresh permission from the DMP authorities to hold the public rally on Sunday ...

MNA National Desk: Jatiya Oikya Prokriya, led by Dr Kamal Hossain, gave the government a deadline to meet its three-point demand, including steps for the formation of an-election time neutral government through discussions with political parties, by September 30. Their two other demands are taking effective steps for reconstituting the Election Commission and dissolving parliament before the announcement of the election schedule. Oikya Prokriya also announced to hold rallies across the country with the presence of national leaders from October 1 to involve people in their unity process. Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah, the convener of the National Committee to Protect ...

MNA Editorial Desk: With everything on course, we are approaching the 11th national election of Bangladesh to be held very soon. The political field is becoming vulnerable with so many uncertainties revolving around this poll. Few feels that the path is very clear for the ruling party to claim victory and hence forming the government for the third consecutive period. Many people think that there will be some extraordinary movements prior to the poll and the opposition parties will come alive to clinch the victory as they believe the ruling party has lost its touch with the voters. Few movements ...

MNA National Desk: BNP started a two-hour token hunger strike in Dhaka demanding its Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s release from jail and her proper treatment. The program began on the premises of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh around 10am on Wednesday. BNP leaders and activists holding banners, festoons, and placards joined the program. They are chanting slogans demanding their chairperson be freed from jail, reported news agency. A large number of law enforcers were also deployed near the venue to maintain law and order. The token hunger strike is scheduled to end around noon. Additionally, a similar program is being held ...