A massive showdown by imprisoned BNP leader Shawkat, who is seeking nomination for Sunamganj 4 constituency

Al Helal, Sunamganj:

Ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary elections, a massive showdown and leaflet distribution in favor of the implementation of the 31-point plan announced by BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has been initiated by imprisoned July fighter Abul Mansur Md. Shawkat, a potential parliamentary candidate of the nationalist party BNP for Sunamganj Sadar-4 constituency, has been organized. He distributed leaflets in the Sunamganj municipal area along with a massive public gathering at the premises of the Heritage Museum located at the Old Court in Sunamganj from 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday (November 1). Later, after a huge mass procession with placards, banners and festoons bearing the pictures of the party’s founding chairman, martyred President Ziaur Rahman, patriot and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and public leader Tarique Rahman, the main road of the city was circumambulated. After the showdown at local checkpoints and traffic points, the main speaker at the mass gathering after the showdown was Abul Mansur Md. Shawkat, a member of the district BNP’s convening committee and former president of the district Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal. Public leader Selim Uddin Ahmed, a member of the district BNP’s convening committee and former president of the district Jubo Dal, spoke as a special guest at the meeting. Among others, former whip of the National Assembly Advocate Fazlul Haque Ashpia’s personal assistant secretary Ataur Rahman, former general secretary of the Municipal BNP and municipal councilor Abdullah Al Noman, municipal BNP leader and former councilor Md. Mosharraf Hossain, former vice-president of Sadar Upazila BNP Mainul Haque, general secretary of the District Jubo Dal Advocate Koyesh Ahmed, member of the convening committee of the Nationalist Lawyers Forum Advocate Kamal Hossain, and district Chhatra Dal leader Ijazul Haque Nasim spoke. Expressing gratitude to all the leaders and supporters present, public leader Abul Mansur Md. Shawkat said, “I have been imprisoned 5 times during the anti-dictatorship Ershad movement, the wrath of the 1/11 government, and the fascist regime of Sheikh Hasina. I have never done politics by compromising with anyone. In the future, I will not do politics by compromising with extortionists, corrupt people, and hybrids.” I believe that the party will nominate me after evaluating the struggle for freedom, prison oppression, and policy ideals. We are ready to elect everyone unitedly with whomever the party nominates. The speakers strongly demanded that Jana Lete Tarique Rahman give the party nomination to Abul Mansur Shawkat, a jailed July 1 fighter from Sunamganj. It is worth noting that, responding to the call of BNP leader Abul Mansur Md. Shawkat, leaders and activists of BNP, Yuvdal and Chhatra Dal from 9 unions and 9 wards of the municipality of Sadar Upazila and party leaders and activists of Bishwambharpur Upazila gathered at the city’s Heritage Museum premises in separate processions from Saturday morning. There, grassroots level oppressed leaders and activists gave valuable speeches on the open stage of the Heritage Museum.