Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
No new district committee of the BNP has been formed within the deadline, exposing the party’s organizational weakness.
Khaleda Zia directed the grassroots level to recast committees for preparation of national council. The central BNP on August 9 issued letters to the district leaders, asking them to complete their councils by September 30. The party had the plan that it would hold its sixth national council in November after forming fresh district committees.
Party insiders said that there is no possibility of holding the national council in November. However, many grassroots and field-level leaders said that they were yet to start work for the reorganisation.
“BNP has planned to launch fresh anti-government movement at the end of the year after the party’s reorganisation. But the district units missed the deadline, while the central BNP is likely to fail to hold the national council by November. It is unfortunate for the party,” said a mid-level BNP leader.
According to the BNP’s insiders, only two district committees out of 75 organisational district units have fixed their council dates, while one district has sought a schedule for holding the council. According to the schedule, councils of Gaibandha and Rangamati districts will be held on October 6 and 8 respectively. Besides, Khagrachari district BNP has sought a schedule from the central committee to hold on any day in November.
BNP Joint-Secretary General Mohammad Shajahan, who signed the August 9 letters under directive of Khaleda Zia, said that the councils of a good number of upazila units had already been completed, but it will take more time to complete councils of district committees. The district units could not hold their councils within the stipulated time for various reasons, he said.
He, however, claimed that they made a good progress in this regard as per their target.
In the August 9 letters, it was warned that the central BNP would make decisions on the district unit who would miss the deadline. Tenures of 69 of the 75 district units expired before issuing the letters. Sixteen of those expired committees are functioning as convening committees.
Some BNP district and upazila level leaders said, party’s internal conflict, efforts to form pocket committees and reluctance of the leaders are the main reasons for its failure to make any tangible progress in its move to overhaul the party within the deadline. Absence of many leaders, who held vital posts both in field-level and central committee and usually stay in capital, lack of coordination, also slowed the reorganisation process, they added.
Some other grassroots level leaders claimed that reorganisation should have been started from the top level, as field-level leaders were more or less active in movement while the central leaders and Dhaka city unit totally failed in movement in 2013-2015.
BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon said the party’s reorganising process that did not get pace due to Eid-ul-Azha festival as many leaders across the country were busy celebrating Eid. He also said that government’s repressive act was also one of the reasons in this regard.
Meanwhile, the last and fifth national council of the BNP was held on December 8 in 2009, which elected Khaleda Zia party chairperson while Khandaker Delwar Hossain Secretary General. Khaleda Zia’s eldest son Tarique Rahman, who has been staying in London, was also elected the party Senior Vice-Chairman in the same council. After Delwar’s death, party Senior Joint-Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was made acting secretary general.
Though BNP had planned twice earlier to hold the national council in March 2013 and in September 2014, the party finally failed to do that. According to the RPO and the rules of party registration, political parties must hold their councils once in every three years.
No new district committee of the BNP has been formed within the deadline, exposing the party’s organizational weakness.
Khaleda Zia directed the grassroots level to recast committees for preparation of national council. The central BNP on August 9 issued letters to the district leaders, asking them to complete their councils by September 30. The party had the plan that it would hold its sixth national council in November after forming fresh district committees.
Party insiders said that there is no possibility of holding the national council in November. However, many grassroots and field-level leaders said that they were yet to start work for the reorganisation.
“BNP has planned to launch fresh anti-government movement at the end of the year after the party’s reorganisation. But the district units missed the deadline, while the central BNP is likely to fail to hold the national council by November. It is unfortunate for the party,” said a mid-level BNP leader.
According to the BNP’s insiders, only two district committees out of 75 organisational district units have fixed their council dates, while one district has sought a schedule for holding the council. According to the schedule, councils of Gaibandha and Rangamati districts will be held on October 6 and 8 respectively. Besides, Khagrachari district BNP has sought a schedule from the central committee to hold on any day in November.
BNP Joint-Secretary General Mohammad Shajahan, who signed the August 9 letters under directive of Khaleda Zia, said that the councils of a good number of upazila units had already been completed, but it will take more time to complete councils of district committees. The district units could not hold their councils within the stipulated time for various reasons, he said.
He, however, claimed that they made a good progress in this regard as per their target.
In the August 9 letters, it was warned that the central BNP would make decisions on the district unit who would miss the deadline. Tenures of 69 of the 75 district units expired before issuing the letters. Sixteen of those expired committees are functioning as convening committees.
Some BNP district and upazila level leaders said, party’s internal conflict, efforts to form pocket committees and reluctance of the leaders are the main reasons for its failure to make any tangible progress in its move to overhaul the party within the deadline. Absence of many leaders, who held vital posts both in field-level and central committee and usually stay in capital, lack of coordination, also slowed the reorganisation process, they added.
Some other grassroots level leaders claimed that reorganisation should have been started from the top level, as field-level leaders were more or less active in movement while the central leaders and Dhaka city unit totally failed in movement in 2013-2015.
BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon said the party’s reorganising process that did not get pace due to Eid-ul-Azha festival as many leaders across the country were busy celebrating Eid. He also said that government’s repressive act was also one of the reasons in this regard.
Meanwhile, the last and fifth national council of the BNP was held on December 8 in 2009, which elected Khaleda Zia party chairperson while Khandaker Delwar Hossain Secretary General. Khaleda Zia’s eldest son Tarique Rahman, who has been staying in London, was also elected the party Senior Vice-Chairman in the same council. After Delwar’s death, party Senior Joint-Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was made acting secretary general.
Though BNP had planned twice earlier to hold the national council in March 2013 and in September 2014, the party finally failed to do that. According to the RPO and the rules of party registration, political parties must hold their councils once in every three years.
