PM stops bus in Saidpur for selfies with students, gifts footballs and cricket bats
On his way to Rangpur, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman stopped his bus in front of Saidpur Government Science College, exchanged greetings with students standing by the roadside and took selfies with them. Not only that, he also handed them footballs, cricket bats and various other sports equipment as gifts.
The prime minister arrived in the divisional city of Rangpur on Tuesday as part of his programme of visiting puja pavilions for the Sharodiya Durga festival. He reached Saidpur airport in Nilphamari on a special flight at 9:50 in the morning.
Travelling by road from the airport towards the Radha Gobinda temple puja pavilion in Rangpur city, the prime minister made a stop in front of Saidpur Government Science College. It was at that moment that the unscheduled meeting with the students took place.
He exchanged greetings and took selfies with the students standing by the roadside. The students expressed delight at suddenly finding the head of government so close — those moments in front of the college became the most talked-about images of the tour.
Alongside the greetings, the prime minister handed the students footballs, cricket bats and various sports items as gifts. The gifts carried a message of encouraging students in sports alongside their studies.
Saidpur Government Science College principal Abul Kalam Azad said that on his way to Rangpur, the prime minister himself stopped the bus on seeing the students in front of the college and gave them time. He later presented them with the sports equipment.
The principal also shared an important detail — a written demand for two new student hostels and an auditorium to expand the institution's infrastructure has been submitted to the prime minister. In other words, during this brief stop, the college's long-standing infrastructure needs reached the head of government directly.
Under the day's itinerary, the prime minister flew from Tejgaon airport to Saidpur in the morning and travelled by road to visit the puja pavilion in Rangpur. From there he will return to Saidpur airport and fly on to Rajshahi.
After the scheduled programme in Rajshahi, the prime minister will fly to Chittagong. In the evening he is due to visit the traditional JM Sen Hall puja pavilion at Rahmatganj in Chittagong, take a brief rest at the circuit house, and return to Dhaka by air at night.
In the middle of this busy three-division tour in a single day, the Saidpur stop was entirely unscheduled. Stepping outside the set programme to give students time and hear their demand added a distinct dimension to the morning's tour.
The college authorities will now watch the written demand — how far the proposal for two hostels and an auditorium advances through the administrative process is where the interest of Saidpur Government Science College's students and teachers will remain.
