Ehsanul Haque Jasim :With the aim to return to ‘positive politics’, the BNP has held its long-awaited sixth triennial national council amid mass enthusiasm among the party men, more than six years after the previous one.Held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital city on Saturday, the council was completed in two sessions– inaugural session and the indoor session. The inaugural session was held in the morning, while the indoor session was held in the afternoon. Speaking at the inaugural session, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has unveiled her party’s ‘Vision-2030 Plan’ to turn the country into a ‘rainbow nation’ if her party returns to power. Making Bangladesh a higher middle-income country by 2030, the party wants to create a political culture where all people of varying opinions can coexist peacefully.In her written speech, Khaleda Zia elaborated outline of the ‘Vision 2030’, and said that they would seek opinions of the countrymen in this regard very soon before finalising the draft. She said that their future election manifesto would be based on this outline. At the beginning of her speech, she recalled the outstanding contributions of the country’s great national leaders Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, Husein Shaheed Suhrawardy, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to make the country independent. She also recalled the role of Ziaur Rahman in the politics and development of the country. The BNP Chief also renewed her call for a dialogue, saying that the nation must explore and find ways and process through discussions. She said that the BNP and almost all other political parties want a democratic and representative government. A fair, peaceful and inclusive election is necessary as soon as possible for it, she added. The former premier in her 111-minute speech also depicted ‘misrule and misdeeds’ of the current government. She said that the countrymen want to come out from the situation. Alleging that the people’s democratic rights have been snatched by the Awami League government, she called upon the people to rise and unite to get back their snatched rights.In her 30-minute elaboration of the ‘Vision 2030’, Khaleda Zia said that they would introduce ‘Bicameral Parliament’. Intellectuals, educationalists, representatives from different communities, marginal groups and talented people from different professions will be made members in the upper chamber of the Parliament. The post and office of an Ombudsman will be activated to ensure administrative transparency and accountability. Khaleda Zia said that if voted to power her party would take creative plan and well thought-out policies to elevate the country’s economic growth to double digit. She promised that they would introduce a positive quality in the country’s politics coming out of the current political culture of vengeance, confrontation and annihilation. “We want to combine 3 Gs, which are good politics, good governance and good government,” she said.Talking about her arch-rival Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, the BNP chief said that in recent years, people felt it quite well that the absolute executive authority of the prime minister has given rise to a despotic and authoritarian rule. “BNP will ensure a balance in the executive authority by enacting necessary constitutional amendments,” she said. Assuring that her party will not allow any terrorist and separatist activities in the country, Khaleda Zia said that their party would work together with the international community to contain terrorism and militancy.Delivering the welcome speech, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir observed that the future action plan for the BNP should be for the party, movement and election. He urged the party leaders and activists to remain alert about the infiltrators from the government. Earlier, Khaleda Zia inaugurated the council in the morning by hoisting the national flag. She also released a bunch of balloons and pigeons. The national anthem, party song and council theme song were also played in the inaugural ceremony where all central leaders of the party were present. The inaugural session started through recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.The slogan of the council was “Corruption and Misrule will Surely Come to an End, Bangladesh will be of Democracy”. The theme was ‘We will must Free Democracy’.Mirza Fakhrul placed the party’s report, while the party’s joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi placed the obituary motion. The motion was adopted in the council. Names of late president Zillur Rahman, Awami League leaders and lawmakers including Baby Moudud and Social welfare minister Syed Mohsin Ali were also included in the obituary motion. Around 30,000 grassroots level leaders and councillors, and 8,000 delegates of the BNP gathered at the council venue which was decked out with flags, streamers and flowers, posters containing council theme, slogans and logo. The BNP also used a portion of the Suhrawardy Udyan for the council, but huge number of the leaders and workers of the party were spread from Kakrail to Shahbagh intersection during the council. Leaders of different political parties, business and professional bodies, foreign diplomats and intellectuals attended the inaugural session. Politicians from some foreign countries, including the UK and the USA, also joined it.British Labour Party MP Simon Danczuk and European Parliament’s former MP and Liberal Democrat Party member Phil Bennion and US Democratic Party’s Chicago councillor Alderman Joe Moore also spoke at the council wishing its success.Indian ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) greeted the BNP wishing the council a success. Vijay Jolly, a member of the BJP’s national executive committee and ex-convener of the party’s foreign cell, in a video message made the wishes. The video message was shown on a big scene.In the video message, Vijay Jolly said, “On the sixth political convention of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, I from India, from the BJP and from all citizens of India do convey one good wish to Begum Khaleda Zia for the success and survival of democracy in Bangladesh.”
