<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies joined the party’s divisional rally in Cumilla on Saturday morning, amid relative ease with no transport strike this time.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Cumilla city unit of BNP arranged the rally that formally began at 11:05am at Cumilla Town Hall ground.</div><div><br></div><div>The rally venue has been teeming with opposition leaders and activists since morning as they gathered there from different upazilas of Cumilla and adjoining districts, including Brahmanbaria and Chandpur.</div><div><br></div><div>Unlike the party’s previous rallies in other divisions, BNP leaders and followers faced less hassles in Cumilla to join the programme as no transport strike has been enforced here.</div><div><br></div><div>The rally in Cumilla is the 8th by BNP at the divisional level after others were held in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna, Rangpur, Barishal, Faridpur and Sylhet.</div><div><br></div><div>An adequate number of police and security officials have been deployed around the rally venue and at different points of the town to prevent any untoward incident.</div><div><br></div><div>The organisers said the rally was meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuel, the death of five party activists in police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Brahmanbaria and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government – a demand rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP senior leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and some standing committee members, are expected to address the rally.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of the move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP will conclude the divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>