PM Tarique arrives in Barishal on day-long tour

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Barishal on Monday on his first official visit to the division since assuming office, receiving a warm welcome from thousands of BNP leaders, activists and supporters in Gournadi. 

His motorcade reached Gournadi around 9:50am, where Information and Broadcasting Minister and Barishal-1 MP Zahir Uddin Swapon, along with local party leaders, received him.

Thousands of BNP leaders, activists and supporters lined both sides of the road at the gateway to Barishal, greeting their party chief with prolonged applause as his convoy passed.

Standing in the red-and-green bulletproof bus bearing the slogan "Bangladesh First", the Prime Minister waved to the cheering crowd and acknowledged their greetings.

No welcome arches, banners or festoons were erected along the route in line with the Prime Minister's directive.

Tarique Rahman left his Gulshan residence in Dhaka by road around 6:00am for the day-long visit.

During his visit to Gournadi, the Prime Minister is scheduled to plant saplings along the banks of the newly excavated Sarikal Canal in Batajor union and distribute Family Cards among beneficiaries.

Later in the day, he will join another tree plantation programme at Sagardi near the Trish Godown Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Barishal city.

In the afternoon, Tarique Rahman is scheduled to attend an organisational meeting of the BNP at the Barishal District Shilpakala Academy.

He is expected to return to Dhaka in the evening, reports UNB.