BNP has withdrawn the expulsion order against former Standing Committee member and minister Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui, as well as seven other reformist and dissident leaders.
The party has also restored the membership of former Chandpur MP and district BNP president SA Sultan Titu, who resigned from the party a few years ago.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the withdrawal of the expulsion orders during a press briefing at BNP's central office in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan on Monday.
The expulsion orders were rescinded following applications made by the outgoing leaders to BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
The seven other leaders are former BNP minister and education affairs secretary Alamgir Kabir, former whip and party chairperson's adviser Shahidul Haque Jamal, former whip and party Executive Committee member Abu Yusuf Mohammad Khalilur Rahman, ex-office secretary of the party Mafiqul Hasan Tripti, former president of Tangail's Basail upazila unit BNP Enamul Karim Atol, former president of Chandpur's Faridganj upazila unit BNP Abdul Mannan, and former joint general secretary of Feni's Sonagazi upazila unit BNP Habib Ullah Parvej.
Among them, Alamgir Kabir, Shahidul Haque Jamal, Abu Yusuf, and Mafiqul Hasan Tripti are known as “reformists” for their role in the 1/11 government in 2007.
The politicians were expelled from BNP as they, together with party's then-secretary general Abdul Manna Bhuiyan, took position against the party and sought major reforms.
Earlier, on October 25, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held a meeting with 12 “reformist” ex-MPs at the party chairperson's Gulshan office, with the aim of taking them back into the party to strengthen it ahead of the general election.
In 2011, Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui was expelled from BNP after one of his sons made derogatory remarks about party chairperson Khaleda Zia.
