BNP chairperson Tarique Rahman told a large election rally that his party’s priorities lie solely with Bangladesh, declaring, “Not Delhi, not Rawalpindi—Bangladesh comes first.” Speaking Thursday evening at the proposed upazila parishad field in Shayestaganj, he framed the February 12 national election as a referendum on restoring people’s rule and accelerating national development.
Urging supporters to reach polling centers “after tahajjud,” Rahman warned party workers to remain vigilant against alleged vote-grabbing. He pledged that, if elected, the BNP would govern on principles of justice and vowed programs aimed at self-reliance, including proposed family cards for women workers—such as tea garden laborers—and agriculture cards for farmers.
Criticizing past elections under the Awami League, he said the last 15–16 years saw “sham polls” that stripped citizens of voting rights and alleged that wealth was siphoned abroad under the banner of development. He also invoked 1971, saying Bangladeshis had “already seen” those who sided against independence, urging voters to back the BNP’s paddy-sheaf symbol.
Rahman arrived on stage at 5:34 p.m., performed Maghrib prayers, and spoke for about 28 minutes. Organizers claimed attendance in the hundreds of thousands. The rally was presided over by former MP Shammi Akter Sifa and featured introductions of BNP candidates from Habiganj’s four constituencies. Speakers included Dr. Sakhawat Hossain Jiban, Dr. Reza Kibria, G.K. Gaus, S.M. Faisal, and Ahmad Ali Mukim, with proceedings conducted by district BNP joint secretary M. Islam Tarafdar Tonu.