Residents and BNP activists in Rangpur celebrated the appointments of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi with a colourful citywide procession and brief rally. Speakers lauded the two as honest, patriotic leaders chosen by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, while locals voiced optimism that their rise will spur long-delayed development and reduce the need for future movements to press regional demands.
Rangpur turned into a festive city on the eve of the congratulatory procession programme for the election of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the country's 23rd President and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi as the acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Rangpur Metropolitan BNP brought out the procession from the party office at Grand Hotel intersection on Saturday afternoon with participation of hundreds of BNP leaders and workers to celebrate the prestigious positions of the two distinguished BNP leaders.
Hundreds of leaders and activists of Rangpur Metropolitan BNP continued to raise various slogans congratulating the President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi from the procession.
The procession was led by Rangpur Metropolitan BNP Convener and Rangpur Development Authority Chairman Md Shamsuzzaman Samu, its Member secretary and Rangpur City Corporation Administrator Advocate Mahfuz-un-Nabi Don and Senior Convener Md Shahidul Islam Mizu.
After circling the important roads of the city in a festive atmosphere, the procession returned to the party office at the Grand Hotel intersection in the city and participated in a brief rally held there.
In the rally, BNP leaders said that they are equally happy and proud that Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a renowned son of North Bengal, has been elected President and that the selfless leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has been appointed as BNP acting Secretary General.
They believe that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has chosen these two tested, patriotic, honest, qualified and dedicated individuals for the right positions, who have served the BNP with honesty and integrity throughout their lives.
They said Rangpur has been deprived of development for a long time. The unemployment rate in this region is high.
Therefore, they expressed strong hope that the two top leaders of the state and the party will play a crucial role in the development of Rangpur in the coming days.
Meanwhile, BNP leaders, workers and ordinary passers-by expressed gratitude and joy to the BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for nominating Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the President and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi as the party's acting Secretary Generalwhile participating in this greeting procession.
While talking to BSS, BNP workers Md Masum, Hafizur Rahman and passers-by Arman Hossain and Sumona Rahman said that with the election of these two
dedicated leaders of North Bengal as the President and the acting BNP Secretary General, the development disparity that has existed in Rangpur division for ages will actually be eliminated.
While passing by the side of the procession, a housewife named Aklima Khatun said that since both the current President and the acting Secretary General of BNP are selfless, honest, dutiful, and patriotic, there is a real possibility of massive development in Rangpur division along with the rest of the country.
"I now firmly believe that with the help of the President and the acting BNP Secretary General, the people of Rangpur division will no longer have to go on a movement to achieve the demands of development in this backward region," she expressed her hope.