Tarique Rahman's BNP Election Rally in Thakurgaon

Tarique Rahman, Chairman of the Bangladesh===Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), held a campaign rally in Thakurgaon, Bangladesh, urging voters to support the party's electoral symbol, the sheaf of paddy, in the upcoming February 12 election. He outlined the BNP's vision for rebuilding Bangladesh, promising basic healthcare, employment opportunities through new industries (sugar mills, ration factories, tea industries), and infrastructure development including an airport, cadet college, cold storage, and an IT park in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh. Rahman also proposed welfare initiatives such as family cards for women, agriculture cards for farmers, agricultural loan waivers, and government-backed microloan repayments. He emphasized public participation in national reconstruction, alleging that people have been deprived of political rights and economic opportunities under a previous 'authoritarian government'. The election is considered pivotal, especially after the Bangladesh===Awami League was banned and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in the July Uprising in 2024. The International Crisis Group has raised concerns about the credibility and potential for violence in the polls.