Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman reached Gournadi upazila on Monday morning on a daylong visit to the southern district.
Information and Broadcasting Minister and lawmaker from Barisal-1 constituency Zahir Uddin Swapon along with local BNP leaders welcomed the Prime Minister as his motorcade reached Gournadi at around 10:00am.
Braving the inclement weather, thousands of leaders, activists, and supporters of the BNP and its associated bodies lined up both sides of the road at the entrance of Gournadi upazila to greet their beloved leader Tarique Rahman with repeated slogans and applauses.
The Prime Minister responded by waving to the crowd from the red-and-green bulletproof bus bearing the popular slogan "Bangladesh First."
As per the Prime Minister's instructions, no welcome arches featuring his photograph were erected, and no banners or festoons were displayed.
Earlier, the Prime Minister departed from his Gulshan residence in Dhaka at 6:00am for Barishal, according to Prime Minister's Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman.
"The Prime Minister has several engagements in Barishal, including tree plantation programmes. He will return to Dhaka in the evening after completing his engagements there," he added.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will participate in a tree plantation programme along the newly re-excavated Sarikal Canal in Batajor Union of Gournadi Upazila and a Family Card distribution programme there.
Later in the afternoon, he will take part in another tree plantation programme in the Sagardi area adjacent to the Trish Godown Mass Killing Memorial in the district headquarters.
Tarique Rahman will also attend an organizational meeting of BNP at the Barishal District Shilpakala Academy later this afternoon.
This is Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman's first official visit to the Barishal Division since assuming office as the head of government.
END/BSS/ASA
