Khaleda plans to ‘reshape BNP committees’

Leaders close to Khaleda said she is now closely observing the overall situation and party leaders’ displeasures over the party’s executive and standing committees and chairpersons’ advisory council. Some senior leaders also spoke with Khaleda over the issue and gave her various suggestions, including extending the size of the party’s standing committee and bringing some changes in the executive body and accommodating the mid-ranking leaders in different associate bodies, to tackle the situation. Assuring them of taking effective steps in this regard, she asked them to send out a message to the aggrieved leaders to have patience and not to make any comment in the media that can mislead the party rank and file. Party insiders said some aggrieved leaders, including Abdullah and Al Noman, Hafizuddin Ahmed, Golam Akbar Khandaker, Abul Khayer Bhuiyan and Shaheeduddin Chowdhury Anee, have already directly or indirectly informed Khaleda that they do not want to stay in their current posts. On August 6, BNP announced its 502-member executive, and 19-member standing committees and 73-member chairperson’s advisory council. After the announcement of the committees, newly-made party Vice-Chairman Mosaddek Ali Falu, Assistant Publicity Affairs Secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim and Executive Member and ex-Magura MP Quazi Salimul Haq Kamal quit their respective posts. Besides, Rangpur district BNP Vice-President and ex-MP Paritosh Chakrabarti also resigned from the party for not being “evaluated” in the committee. Around 30 other leaders are reportedly planning either to distance themselves from the party or resign from their current posts. Under the circumstances, a BNP standing committee member, wishing anonymity, said Khaleda is now thinking of increasing the size of the standing committee to 21 or 23 from 19 to accommodate the aggrieved leaders. She is also likely to bring minor changes in the executive committee. Besides, she will also soon announce the names of some leaders in the vacant posts of the standing and executive committees. He said the BNP chairperson is also planning to gradually announce the committees of the party’s different associate bodies, including Jubo Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal, incorporating the mid-ranking party leaders who did not get posts in the central committee. Some other leaders will be included in various sub-committees on different ministries. Contacted, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: “No political party can form its committees perfectly making all leaders and activists happy. There can be minor flaws and inconsistencies in our committees, but there’s also a scope for correcting those.” He said their chairperson is observing everything and she will take steps to this end whenever it is necessary. BNP standing committee member Hannan Shah said senior leaders were in the dark about the formation of the committees. “I think the errors could have been avoided and the committees could have been better if the senior leaders were consulted.” Mentioning that that they were getting some reactions from their party men over the committees, Hannan said the chairperson would take proper steps to address the resentment. Party standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said: “Wait and see. There is a scope for making minor changes in the committees. There is no bar to the party charter to change posts of the committee members. Our chairperson can do that.” Meanwhile, a group of nearly 40 leaders – known as reformists of the 1/11 changeover and ignored in the new committees – are going to send a letter to the BNP chief requesting her to evaluate them. But according to BNP insiders, Khaleda is determined not to include the reformist leaders in the party’s committee, fearing they may create further trouble in the party.