Khaleda leads road march towards Khulna today

---

After over a month-long break, Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia will lead yet another road march towards the industrial city of Khulna today(Saturday) to garner public support to the opposition's key demand of holding next general elections under a caretaker government, reports UNB. The road march of the BNP-led four-party alliance is also designed to expose, what it says the "failures" of the three-year-old Awami League-led grand alliance government as well as to raise voice against the Indian government's recent unilateral decision to construct Tipaimukh Dam over the common river Barak. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will formally lead the two-day caravan at 10 in the morning from the House Building bus stand at Uttara in the capital. Addressing a press briefing Friday, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that over 3,000 motor vehicles would join the road march. He alleged that the Chhatra League activists had attacked the Chhatra Dal men in Khulna when they were taking preparations for the road-march, leaving 12 Chhatra Dal activists injured. Rizvi also alleged that the ruling party activists under the shelter of police had obstructed distribution of campaign leaflets for the road march in different areas of greater Khulna including in Bagerhat and Jhenidah. Leaders of the four-party alliance and other like- minded political parties will join the road march. The caravan will pass through Pabna, Kushtia, Jhenidah and Jessore districts before reaching Khulna. Khaleda Zia is scheduled to address three wayside gatherings at Dasuria in Pabna, and in Jhenidah and Jessore district towns. She will address a public meeting in Kushtia district town on Saturday. After the overnight stay in Jessore, the opposition leader will start the next morning (Sunday) for Khulna where she will address a public meeting at the Circuit House Maidan. Earlier, Khaleda Zia first led a two-day road march towards Sylhet on October 10 followed by the second road march towards Rajshahi on October 18-19. The BNP-led four-party alliance is likely to launch its Dhaka-Chittagong road march in the first week of January next. This will be the fourth road march by the alliance since the Awami League-led grand alliance government scrapped the provision of caretaker government from the Constitution through 15th amendment in June. Four-party alliance leader Khaleda Zia repeatedly said the next general election under the party in power will not be allowed to be held in the country. She categorically said the election will definitely be held under the non-party caretaker government.