Dhaka: BNP will unveil its future course of action and strategy at its planned Suhrawardy Udyan public rally here on Saturday.

‘We’ll deliver our statements on our party’s future policy at the rally. Our party’s future strategy and programmes will be declared there,’ said BNP secretary generally Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He came up with the remarks at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office after a joint meeting of the party and its associate bodies.

Fakhrul said they tried to hold the rally on Thursday, but Dhaka Metropolitan Police authorities suggested them to arrange it on a holiday on Saturday at Suhrawardy Udyan. ‘That’s why we shifted the rally to Saturday.’

He said police are now talking in a different tone as the Awami League-led 14-Party Grand Alliance has a meeting at Mohanagar Natya Mancha the same day. ‘Their venue is far away from ours. So, we can’t understand what the problem with holding our programme the same day.’

The BNP leader also alleged that the ruling party leaders are issuing various threats to their party leaders and activists to resist them from joining their rally.

‘Mohammad Nasim (14-party coordinator) at a meeting urged their party men to resist BNP leaders and activists so that they can’t come to the rally. Jahangir Kabir Nanak (AL leader) directed them to break the hands and legs of our activists ...this is their democratic language,’ he said.

The BNP leader said people will now consider who start political violence and give provocation for it following such remarks of the ruling party leaders. ‘No one should also forget that Awami League killed 27 youths with oars and sticks on October 28, 2006 on the streets.’

Asked whether their party will hold the rally on Saturday under the current circumstances, Fakhrul said they held the joint meeting of their party for making their rally a success on Saturday.

On Monday, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference announced that they sought permission from the authorities concerned to hold a public rally either at Suhrawardy Udyan or in front of their party’s Nayapaltan central office on Thursday.

But the party rescheduled it on Tuesday it for Saturday.

Meanwhile, a BNP delegation, led by party publicity affairs secretary Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury Anee, met DMP authorities around 1pm to know about the permission for their rally.

Anee said the DMP authorities advised them to hold their programme at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh on Saturday instead of Suhrawardy Udyan to avoid any possible confrontation.

He said they gave the DMP authorities an alternative proposal to hold their rally on Sunday if they are given permission. ‘The authorities said they will inform their decision on it later.’