Major reshuffle in BNP likely

UNB, Dhaka :A major reshuffle in BNP’s standing and national executive committees is expected as the party is preparing for holding its overdue sixth national council on March 19.Senior BNP leaders said their fresh executive committee will be formed with young, active, brave, dedicated, popular, tested and competent party leaders through the council.They said, some vice chairmen and chairperson’s advisers are likely to be made party standing committee members while 3-4 existing members of the party’s highest policymaking body may be dropped from it for their illness, old age complications and poor performance.”We’ve already sought permission from the authorities concerned of Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC), Suhrawardy Udyan and Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) to hold the national council on March 19,” BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told UNB.He said, they want to hold the council session at the BICC as it has wide space to accommodate their nearly 2900 councillors. The party’s last and fifth national council was held on December 8, 2009. Contacted, BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said the exact date for the council session will be finalised depending on the permission of the venue.He said, an election commission has already been formed, headed by party standing committee member Jamiruddin Sircar, to conduct the elections at the council.He, however, said the elections to the chairperson and the senior vice-chairman posts are likely to be held before the council as their party constitution has such provision.Party insiders said though it is almost certain that current BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will be made the full-fledged secretary general, a group of leaders are trying to convince the party chief to appoint a more senior leader like Tariqul Islam and Khandaker Mosharraf to the post.Fakhrul has been working as the party acting secretary general since 2011 following the death of Khandaker Delwar Hossain on March 16.Some party leaders said BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and chairperson’s adviser Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury are eager to be the party secretary general.Talking to UNB, BNP vice chairman Abdullah Al Noman said there is no grouping in the party over the post of party secretary general. “But, there is a competition among party leaders over other posts. This is usual and it’s there in every party.”Three posts of its 19-member party standing committee remain vacant following the death of Khandaker Delwar, RA Gani and execution of war crime convict Salauddin Quader Chowdhury. Besides, Shamsul Islam and Sarwari Rahman have fallen sick while Rafiqul Islam Miah has become inactive in politics.Under the circumstances, party leaders think 6-7 new faces may be inducted into the standing committee. Those are believed to be made its new members include Mirza Fakhrul, BNP vice chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Shah Moazzem Hossain, Hafizuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman, chairperson’s advisers Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Abdul Awal Mintoo, Dr Osman Farroque and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.They said, the names of a number of mid-level leaders are in discussion for the post of party senior joint secretary general. They are M Shahjahan, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Salahuddin Ahmed (now detained in India), Shamsuzzaman Dudu and Asaduzzaman Ripon.Besides, BNP leaders and activists think mid-level leaders like Zainul Abedin Farroque, Asadul Habib Dulu, Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Asaduzzaman Ripon, Fazlul Haq Milon, Khairul Kabir Khokan, Golam Akbar Khandaker, ANM Ehsanul Haq Milon and Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee are likely to be inducted into the seven posts of joint secretary general.They said mid-level dedicated and smart and active leaders will also be elevated to the posts of organising secretary.A good number of leaders of the existing committee will be either dropped or given unimportant posts due to their poor performance and inactive role during the party’s last three years’ movement.At the council, BNP’s charter is likely to be amended to have in place a party advisory committee like the party chairperson’s advisory council which will be formed with party senior leaders who will be dropped from the standing committee and executive committee and leaders of different professional bodies, said a leader close to Khaleda.Besides, a provision of ‘one leader’ ‘one post’ is likely to be included in the BNP constitution to accommodate the party’s dedicated and competent leaders in different committees.