Workers’ rally kicks off at Naya Paltan, PM set to speak

A rally organised by the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal got underway this afternoon at Naya Paltan in the capital to mark International Workers’ Day.

The programme began at 2:30pm in front of the BNP’s central office. Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to address the gathering, with Sramik Dal President Anwar Hossain presiding.

Anwar Hossain said the party anticipates a turnout of several hundred thousand workers, as labourers from factories in districts surrounding Dhaka have travelled to join the event.

Although many roads in the capital were waterlogged following overnight rain, the situation gradually improved. Despite the weather, people started arriving at the venue from the morning.

Leaders and activists, wearing red caps and T-shirts and carrying banners, marched in groups towards Naya Paltan, filling the area with slogans and applause.

Security personnel were deployed at the venue and nearby areas.

BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, along with Standing Committee members and Prime Minister’s advisers Nazrul Islam Khan and Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, as well as Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Md Safiqul Islam Khan, have already joined the rally, among others.