Alliance rally today to mark two-year rule

Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will address the rally as chief guest. City BNP President and Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka MP will preside.

Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Matiur Rahman Nizami, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chairman Naziur Rahman Manzur and Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) Chairman Azizul Haq will speak as special guests. Besides, secretaries general of BNP, Jamaat, BJP and IOJ will also address the rally.

The rally over, the prime minister and top alliance leaders will lead a colourful procession in the city.

Khaleda Zia spearheaded the alliance to power through a landslide victory in the October 1, 2001 parliamentary elections winning over two-thirds majority in the 300-member Jatiya Sangsad. BNP alone clinched 195 seats.

Khaleda's speech at the rally would focus on the successes and achievements of the government during the past two years. She is also expected to announce the future course of action, sources at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

However, dissatisfaction over power-sharing has grown among BNP's coalition partners. Except for Jamaat, which was rewarded with two ministerial positions, BNP's two other alliance partners -- the BJP and the IOJ -- have no representation in the cabinet.

The initial grumbling has lately snowballed into loud protests in public, accusing the BNP of reneging on the coalition government deal and branding the conglomerate as the '2-party alliance'.

"We relied on the BNP but its leadership has disappointed us by leaving us out of the cabinet for the last two years. We are nowhere in the government," said a top leader of the BJP, adding "the BJP will not bear the responsibility of any failures or misdeeds of anyone in power."

The two splinter factions of the IOJ also echoed the sentiment saying both the BNP and Jamaat have completely forgotten about them.

Meanwhile, the city BNP has taken up extensive mass contact programmes to ensure a big turnout at the rally. All units of BNP and its different front organisations in the city have been asked to start assembling for the rally from 2:00pm.

BNP sources however expressed doubts about a huge turnout if the rains don't let up.