AL, BNP start district tours this month

Both the ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP will begin countrywide tours this month.
The former will seek to gauge public feelings towards the government's performance and their expectations. It also aims to have the party geared up to see off the opposition challenge on the streets.
BNP, on the other hand, plans to mobilise public opinions against the AL-led grand alliance government. It also wants to prepare the organisation down to the grassroots level for an anti-government campaign over issues like the recent disturbances in the hill tracts and deals with India.
AL'S TOURS START MAR 18
Ruling Awami League will seek to know about people's aspirations, demands and suggestions for the government during its month-long countrywide tour starting from March 18 and place those demands to the prime minister to look into it.
"We will list the demands of the people at the grassroots level and place those demands to the government," AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said after a meeting at party president's political office in Dhanmondi.
With AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury in the chair, the departmental secretary-level meeting finalised the district tour programmes with a view to strengthening its organisational activities at the grassroots level.
A total of 16 central teams led by mostly the AL presidium members will visit all the districts.
The meeting also decided to focus on the success of the present government during the trip. It will also make the grassroots aware of the conspiracies and anti-government propagandas by the BNP-led opposition and will ask them to counter those falsehoods.
Recruitment of new members in the party and renewal of primary membership will also continue during the tour, said Hanif adding that extended meetings of the party would also be held at the districts to ramp up party activities.
Replying to a query, he said party's sub-committees would be formed probably within March.
During the tour programmes, Sajeda will lead a central team for Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Gazipur districts, AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam will lead another team for Tangail, Jamalpur, Sherpur and Mymensing districts, Matia Chowdhury for Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Narsindi and Manikganj, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim for Rajbari, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Madaripur and Shariatpur, Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser for Chittagong, Cox's Bazaar, Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban, Yusuf Hossain Humayun for Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal, Jhalakathi and Pirojpur.
While Obaidul Quader for Feni, Noakhali and Laxmipur, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir for Bhramanbaria, Comilla and Chandpur, Kazi Zafarullah for Jessore, Magura, Narail, Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira, Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju for Joypurhat, Bogra, Naogaon and Natore, Abdul Latif Siddique for Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat, Satischandra Roy for Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur and Nilphamari, Mohammad Nasim for Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Pabna and Sirajganj, Mahabubul Alam Hanif for Meherpur, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Jhenidah and Nurul Islam Nahid for Sunamganj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habiganj.
Talking to The Daily Star AL's deputy office secretary Mrinal Kanti Das said there could be changes in the teams and schedules of the tour programmes.
KHALEDA OPENS TOUR MARCH 27
BNP is going to launch a month-long countrywide 'mass communication tour' programme from Chittagong on March 27 to gear up organisational activities aimed at preparing the party for an anti-government movement.
Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia will address a grand rally in the port city as part of the programme announced earlier. She is likely to focus on the latest developments concerning Chittagong Hill Tracts and Chittagong port.
Meanwhile, the joint communiqué issued by Bangladesh and India during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to that country said India will be allowed to use Chittagong and Mongla sea ports for movement of goods to and from it through road and rail.
And it was bitterly criticised by BNP.
The grand rally at the port city's outer stadium will be the first to be addressed by Khaleda after the last general election.
The leader of the opposition in parliament will later visit four other divisional headquarters.
She will then address a grand rally in the capital by April 17.
Party leaders hoped that the chairperson's rallies will demonstrate the organisational strength of BNP, which ruled the country several times.
On March 5, BNP announced that a 'mass communication tour' would begin this month as part of preparations for a tough movement against the government.
A preparatory meeting to make the Chittagong grand rally a success was held yesterday at the BNP central office at Nayapaltan in the capital with party standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in the chair.
The meeting was attended by the party's Chittagong region leaders Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, M Morshed Khan, Abdullah Al Noman, Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury and Mir Nasiruddin, central leaders Barkatullah Bulu, Mohammad Shahjahan, Salahuddin Ahmed and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
"The (BNP) chairperson will give a “directional speech” at the Chittagong rally about Chittagong Hill Tracts and Chittagong port as 'conspiracies' are on centring them," Mosharraf told reporters after the meeting.
"It is from Chittagong that our leader (founder of BNP) Ziaur Rahman 'declared independence' in March 1971…At present, an unstable situation is prevailing in Chittagong Hill Tracts," he said.
The next preparatory meeting on Chittagong rally will be held in the port city on Saturday, the BNP leader said.