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“Not thousands, but hundreds of thousands will join the rally,” he said.

He said the July charter and its implementation order are two separate issues, but BNP is treating them as one. He said although parties had worked together for nine months in the consensus commission to draft the charter, actions by some parties delayed the process.

Azad also said the door to dialogue remains open to resolve the current crisis. “The government or political parties can take such an initiative. But there is no scope to tamper with the July National Charter. Discussions, however, can be held on its implementation to find a way out of the crisis,” he said.

When asked if today’s rally would cause public inconvenience, he said it would be held from 2:00pm to 4:00pm and efforts would be made to end it on time. “If the traffic system works properly, there will be no major congestion,” he added.