Failure to gear up movement: Changes to BNP on cards
Special Correspondent :
The high command of the main opposition of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is planning to bring about changes in leadership both at the central and city committee level they failed to gear up the ongoing anti-government movement.
According to multiple sources, the BNP policymakers are of the opinion that performances of the leaders of Dhaka South and North the committees in the ongoing one-point movement to oust the present government from power are very poor.
Even, the central and city committee leaders have failed to demonstrate the real strength of the BNP on the streets by bringing out well participated rallies across the country including the capital city Dhaka.
The sources said the BNP has at least 3,50,000 leaders excluding JCD and other affiliated organization across the country. Despite holding different posts and positions from union to central levels, these leaders have so far failed to mobilize themselves and the supporters on the streets to the satisfaction of the high command. And as a result, the ongoing movement is not gaining momentum.
Expressing anonymity, some top BNP leaders told this correspondent that had only post holders of BNP committees turned up in the street programs the scenarios would have been otherwise.
They did not find any reason for the poor showdown that stands in the way of an effective enforcement of the anti-government movement programs every day.
“Due to lack of proper leadership it is not possible to bring out procession as many leaders are inactive fearing police arrest. So, the activists of BNP also have become inactive.
Top leaders of BNP including Secretary General are in jail now. So, many leaders don’t want to take any risk fearing police arrest,” a source said.
According to the sources, considering the present scenario and activities of the BNP leaders, the BNP’s high command is likely to reconstitute committees soon in Dhaka.
Though the central committees of Chhatra Dal and the two Dhaka Metropolitan units of Jubo Dal have already been reorganized, but will again been reconstituted, sources said.
Earlier, BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said that the only way to get rid of this fascist government is to protest on the streets and a strong movement-oriented leadership is badly needed for this.
Earlier on December 19, Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Ainjibi Forum (BJAF), a body of pro-BNP lawyers, alleged that the “unelected” government has illegally detained 21,835 BNP men since October 28 to foil the party’s movement for restoring democracy and people’s right to vote.
A total of 1,249 BNP leaders and activists have been sentenced to different terms of imprisonment in connection with 79 cases over the last 14 weeks, BJAF Secretary General Kayser Kamal said in a written statement during a press conference.
Earlier, BNP’s high command warned that any grassroots leaders who do not participate in the movement will also face organizational action.
Meanwhile, BNP has changed its course of planning of the ongoing movement, moving away from harsher programmes like hartals and blockades to demonstrations and sit-ins.
The change is being mulled to keep up public support and prepare to show its strengths before the 12th parliamentary polls billed for January 7, if there is no positive development by that time.
