All preparations complete for the 11-party alliance's long march in Jhenaidah, gathering could reach 200,000: Ali Azam

Ali Azam Md Abu Bakar, amir of Jhenaidah district Jamaat and MP for Jhenaidah-2, has said: 'When people say "extortionist", ordinary people understand which party is being talked about. People voted in the election with much hope, but those hopes have not been fulfilled. That is why the 11-party alliance has announced the long march programme with seven demands.'

He said this on Friday morning at a press conference on the long march, held at the party office in the Alhera area of Jhenaidah town.

Ali Azam said: 'All preparations of the Jhenaidah 11-party alliance to make the 31 October long march a success have been completed. As many as 200,000 people could gather for the long march programme.'

It was announced at the press conference that leaders of the 11-party unity will travel from Dhaka via Khulna, hold a wayside meeting in Jhenaidah, and then join another wayside meeting in Kushtia.

In Jhenaidah, a rally will be held at around 5pm in front of the town's Central Shaheed Minar. Jamaat amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman, opposition chief whip Nahid Islam, LDP chief Colonel Oli Ahmed (retd), Khelafat Majlis leader Maulana Mamunul Haque and other central leaders will speak at it, according to the press conference.

Among others present at the press conference were Jhenaidah-3 MP Motiar Rahman, the 11-party alliance's district convener and district Jamaat-e-Islami secretary Abdul Awal, and local leaders.