Prime Minister Begins Visits to Rangpur, Rajshahi and Chattogram Today

Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman will visit Rangpur, Rajshahi and Chattogram today. A festive mood has spread among party leaders, workers and people from all walks of life in the three divisions. Our bureaus sent these details in their reports.

Chattogram Bureau reports that Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman will come to Chattogram today on a short visit. He will arrive in the afternoon by a military helicopter. First he will visit the Sharodiya Durga Puja pavilion at J M Sen Hall in the city and exchange greetings with representatives of the Hindu community. He will also give donations for the temples there.

In the evening, BNP Chairman Mr. Tarique Rahman will join a views exchange meeting with grassroots leaders of Chattogram North, Chattogram South and Metropolitan BNP. The meeting will take place at the star hotel Radisson Blue in the city. Party leaders said more than five hundred grassroots leaders will join the meeting. Many of them will tell the party chief directly about the state of the organization.

The Prime Minister will give directions on the coming local government elections, including the city corporation election. He held a similar meeting with grassroots leaders at the same venue earlier. Meanwhile, the city has seen a large cleaning drive and beautification work for his visit.

While visiting this work, Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain said they are fully ready to welcome Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman. He said they have decorated Chattogram as a clean, beautiful and attractive city. He said they gave special importance to beautification, road improvement, repair of historical buildings and cleaning for the visit. But he said the city corporation does not do this work only for the visit.

He said the corporation works steadily to ensure the long term welfare of citizens and to build a clean, green and attractive Chattogram. Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain said J M Sen Hall has changed completely from how it looked a few days ago. The city corporation has decorated the place very well. They want the Prime Minister to see a fine picture of the historical heritage, culture and beauty of Chattogram when he comes here.

Pointing to the historical importance of Chattogram, the mayor said the city played an important role in the anti British movement. He said he has visited the development and beautification work on the airport road, the VIP road and other areas of the city. These works have continued for the last few months. The corporation wants the Prime Minister and the guests to see a clean, orderly and beautiful city from the moment they enter Chattogram. Overall, Chattogram City Corporation is ready to welcome the Prime Minister.

Great excitement across Rangpur

Mr. Halim Ansari reports from Rangpur that Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman will go to Rangpur today to see the Durga Puja of the Hindu community. His arrival has created great excitement among party leaders, workers and the Hindu community. The whole city is in a festive mood. Workers have already washed and cleaned the whole city.

Temples and puja pavilions have new decorations. Banners and festoons have covered the whole city in color. According to the schedule, Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman will come from Tejgaon airport to Saidpur airport by air at 9 am. Then he will go by road and visit Dharmasabha (Radha Govinda Mandir) around 11 am.

There he will exchange greetings with the Sanatani community. After the visit, he will leave through Saidpur airport. Local BNP leaders and workers and the Hindu community feel great excitement about his arrival. Rangpur Dharmasabha in front of the Press Club and the Kalibari Temple at Payra Chattar have special decorations. The administration has built a heavy security ring around these two temples and the nearby areas.

Artists of the Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas) in the city and the district have prepared to welcome Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman with songs in Baher Desh Rangpur, which is famous for Bhawaiya music. They also want to show the tradition of harmony. The Sangskritik Oikya Parishad has also made preparations. Leaders and workers of Rangpur Metropolitan and District BNP, and of its wings and partner groups, have made wide preparations to make the visit a success. These groups include Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, Chhatra Dal, Mahila Dal, Krishak Dal, Tanti Dal, Matsyajibi Dal, Ulama Dal and Zia Sangsad.

Mr. Mahfuz Un Nabi Chowdhury Dawn, member secretary of Rangpur Metropolitan BNP and administrator of Rangpur City Corporation, said the visit has created great excitement among the people here. He said the party is making wide preparations. He said it is a rare event in the country that a Prime Minister comes to a remote area outside the capital to see the Sharodiya festival.

People of Rajshahi ready to welcome the Prime Minister

Rajshahi Bureau reports that Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman is coming to Rajshahi today. Last minute preparations are on in Rajshahi for his arrival. He will join a public meeting at the historic Madrasa Maidan. He will also exchange views with followers of the Sanatan religion on the occasion of Sharodiya Durga Puja.

A festive mood has spread among leaders and workers of the BNP and its wings. The people of Rajshahi wait eagerly to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister. Land Minister Mr. Mizanur Rahman Minu told the media about the latest preparations in the afternoon yesterday. He said they had to prepare for the visit in a short time, but the people of Rajshahi feel great excitement and emotion.

He said this is the first visit of Mr. Tarique Rahman to Rajshahi as Prime Minister. Great interest has grown among party workers and also among common people. In this visit, the Prime Minister will give a special message to sugarcane growers, considering the interest of agriculture and farmers in the northern region. The minister called the visit meaningful.

He said that as the son of Shaheed President Mr. Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Ms. Khaleda Zia, the arrival of Mr. Tarique Rahman has special value for the people of Rajshahi. The minister also claimed that Mr. Tarique Rahman united the people of the country through a long 17 years of struggle. In this visit, people will place the long standing demands and hopes of Rajshahi before him.

The demands of the people of Rajshahi include an effective system to preserve seeds. They want the Rajshahi airport upgraded to a full international airport. They also want an agriculture based export processing zone (EPZ), quick completion of the Rajshahi Medical University and a full agricultural university. They also want Rajshahi city officially declared an “Education City”. Leaders plan to raise these development demands in the presence of the Industries Minister and the related advisers.

Meanwhile, several people visited the Madrasa Maidan yesterday. They included Rajshahi 3 Paba Mohonpur MP Adv. Mr. Shafiqul Haque Milon and Mr. Mahfuzur Rahman Riton, general secretary of Rajshahi Metropolitan BNP and administrator of Rajshahi City Corporation. Rajshahi 6 MP Mr. Abu Sayeed Chand, Divisional Commissioner Mr. Md. Yusuf Ali, Additional Divisional Commissioner Mr. Habibur Rahman, RMP Commissioner Mr. Foyezul Kabir, Deputy Commissioner Mr. Kazi Shahidul Islam and other administration officials also came. They watched the overall preparations and the progress of work at the field.