After the reorganisation process of the BNP ground to a halt due to internal feud the party is now looking forward to the month of Ramadan to use it as a lever to put some life into the organisation.
The party that boycotted the January 5 election is now contemplating reconstitution of its committees, especially Dhaka city unit of the BNP and central committees of the Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal and Swechchasebak Dal during the month of Ramadan, said party insiders.
A good number of leaders believe that the Awami League will not budge on the dialogue until the BNP can bring it to its knee through a strong street campaign.
They said the party had realised that dependency on the diplomats would not bring any positive result until the party could wage any vigorous street movement.
The party has segmented its movement into two phases – an issue-based movement just after the Eid-ul-Fitr and the oust-government-movement soon after the Eid-ul-Adha, said a number of senior leaders reflecting the view of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia who shared her ideas with them in recent times.
Khaleda Zia herself also said she would launch movement after Eid on different occasions. She, however, did not specify exactly when she would do so.
“There is no alternative to strengthening the party organisationally. We have strong organisational strength outside the capital but weak in the Dhaka city,” said Tariqul Islam, a standing committee member of the party.
“As all the major movements including the upsurge against autocratic Ershad gained pace from the capital we are thinking of reorganising the Dhaka city unit BNP and its
other associated bodies very soon,” he said.
The BNP failed miserably to bolster its movement especially in Dhaka during the pre- and post-January 5 election movement.
Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia at that time expressed her anguish and anger at the Dhaka city unit leaders and activists.
Realising the gravity of the situation the former premier took an initiative to reorganise the party but it fell apart midway through due to internal conflict.
The BNP chief herself held meetings with several district committee leaders and some district committees were dissolved too but the process suddenly stopped.
A senior leader seeking anonymity said programmes like hartal or blockade would not be announced after Eid-ul-Fitr excepting some issue-based movement programmes.
“We have identified the errors and initiative has been taken to correct those. Though the reorgainsing process is going in snail’s pace it will gain momentum in the month of Ramadan,” he said.
The senior leader also said the BNP is a large political party and it always takes time to take a decision and its implementation. “We cannot take any decision whimsically.”
“Around fifty thousand of our leaders and activists are now behind bars and it will take some more time to get them back in our midst. Before we launch a movement we should also give deep thought to this point too,” he said.
A mid-ranking but influential leader said Khaleda Zia might fly to Saudi Arabia in the middle of Ramadan and party’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman is supposed to join her.
“Some important decisions on the reconstitution of the BNP are expected to come from there.”