Rangpur city is in a festive mood on the occasion of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s grand rally on Wednesday afternoon.
From Wednesday morning, party leaders and activists started arriving in the city from various districts and upazilas of Rangpur division.
The entire city has become busy with the small processions.
Even though the rally is scheduled to be held at the Rangpur Zila School ground in the afternoon, party leaders and activists had been gathering since the morning.
PM Hasina to address grand rally on Wednesday afternoon
Security beefed up
Her last rally at same venue was in 2011
The Rangpur Zila School ground is full of slogans.
Leaders and activists from different districts and upazilas are coming in groups towards the rally ground, wearing colourful t-shirts and chanting different slogans to the beat of music.
Apart from Rangpur, activists are also coming from surrounding districts. They have been travelling in buses, trains, microbuses, pickup vans and autorickshaws. Others are coming on foot.
Meanwhile, the Rangpur metropolitan has been covered with a blanket of security centring on the prime minister’s rally.
Security checkpoints have been installed at important intersections.
More than 1,000 CCTV cameras have been installed. Car parking has been arranged at 21 points in the city.
Premier Sheikh Hasina married the late scientist MA Wazed Miah, who hailed from Pirganj of Rangpur district, in 1968. People of Rangpur have referred to her as “Rangpur’s bride” ever since.
Sheikh Hasina last visited Rangpur before the 11th national election as part of her election campaign in December 2018. She conducted election rallies in Taraganj and Pirganj but did not hold any rallies in Rangpur city.
Sheikh Hasina addressed a rally at Rangpur Zila School ground in February 2011, and Wednesday’s rally is set to be held at the same venue more than a decade later.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate 27 development schemes and lay the foundation of five others, including the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre, in the district during her visit.
The main event will start at 2pm. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the rally at 3pm.
Before this, the Prime minister is scheduled to reach Rangpur by helicopter at 1:30pm and leave the divisional city for Dhaka at 5:30pm.
Source: Dhaka Tribune.