Prime minister Tarique Rahman left Dhaka for Rangpur on Tuesday morning to visit Durga Puja mandaps outside the capital on Maha Navami, the ninth day of the Hindu community’s Sharadiya festival.
He left Tejgaon Airport at 9 am by a military aircraft, prime minister’s press secretary Saleh Shibly told the media.
‘The prime minister has left for Rangpur. He will visit the puja mandap at Radha Gobinda Temple and exchange greetings with devotees there,’ he said.
Tarique is scheduled to visit puja mandaps in Rangpur, Rajshahi and Chattogram districts before returning to Dhaka at night, Shibly said.
He said the government has taken all necessary measures to ensure the smooth celebration of Durga Puja across the country.
‘The government’s policy is that religion belongs to each individual, but everyone has the right to security. The allocation has been increased, holidays have been extended, and all kinds of support are being provided to puja mandaps,’ the press secretary said.
A number of senior BNP leaders and government officials are accompanying the prime minister, including BNP Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Women and Children Affairs minister Prof AZM Zahid Hussain, BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, culture minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and state minister Mir Shah Alam.
According to the itinerary, Tarique will travel from Saidpur Airport to Rangpur’s Radha Gobinda Temple after arriving in Saidpur at 10 am.
He is scheduled to leave Saidpur for Rajshahi at 12:30 pm and visit the Dharmasabha Temple’s puja mandap at around 1:15 pm.
After a brief stop at Rajshahi Circuit House, he will attend a public rally at Haji Muhammad Mohsin Government High School ground at 3 pm.
The prime minister will then fly to Chattogram, where he is scheduled to visit the puja mandap at J M Sen Hall in Rahmatganj at 5:30pm.
After a brief stop at Chattogram Circuit House, he is scheduled to leave Shah Amanat International Airport for Dhaka at 7:45 pm and arrive at Tejgaon Airport at 9:15 pm.
FP/A
