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Thousands of leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League have gathered at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka for an event marking the party’s 75th founding anniversary.
The event was inaugurated at 2:15 pm on Sunday with the raising of the national flag and the party’s flag, followed by a rendition of the national anthem, and the release of balloons and pigeons, according to bdnews24.com.
A discussion programme began at 2:30 pm and will be followed by a cultural programme.
Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will oversee the event.
The gates to the Suhrawardy Udyan were opened at 11:30 am and activists of the Awami League and its affiliate organisations began to trickle in.
Md Siddiqur Rahman, a 72-year-old Awami League activist from the Dhaka-18 (Uttara) constituency, is attending the event.
Siddiqur says he comes to the party’s events every year because of his love for it. He said he became involved in Awami League politics from an early age through his family.
The first time he attended the anniversary event was alongside former MP Sahara Khatun, he said. Now he is attending alongside current Dhaka-18 MP Md Khosru Chowdhury.
Allah willing, he will attend more anniversary events, he said.
Siddiqur is now the president of the Awami League unit in his ward. He said he came to the event even when he did not hold an official position in the party and will continue to do so in the future. He even spent time in jail during the BNP’s rule.
Siddiqur said his family was known as an Awami League family.
Chhatra League activist Shaheen Alam has come from his home in Brahmanbaria to the TSC area to attend the event.
He said the leadership of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inspired him. He says he wants to follow in their footsteps into politics.
“As an activist of Awami League’s affiliate organisation Chhatra League, it is a pleasure to participate in this historic event today,” Shaheen said.