Dhaka city units to be split
The ruling Awami League has decided to recast the entire grassroots level units within the next couple of months keeping the next parliamentary election in mind.
The party will divide the Dhaka city unit into four organisational districts to create more leadership in the capital.
The city happens to be one district unit of the party's total 73 organisational districts.
“We may split the Dhaka city unit into three to four units, each having the status of a district committee. There will be a monitoring unit to supervise the activities of the segregated units,” AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said the present committee, which had been in office of the city AL since June 18, 2003, would continue its works until the city gets the new units and leaders.
Hanif, also a special assistant to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the city unit AL, which arranged its council on December 27, had failed to elect new leadership as it did not hold a single council to its 22 thanas and 100 wards of the capital which was mandatory as per the party constitution.
There has been a widespread speculation that the city unit of the party would be bifurcated just like the Dhaka City Corporation. But the AL's latest move is being considered based on the large population and the size of the city. However, the speculation is still there.
Sources said AL leaders Fazle Noor Taposh, Aslamul Haque Aslam, AKM Rahmat Ullah, Qamrul Islam, Sayeed Khokon, Haji Mohammad Selim, Shahe Alam Murad, and Kamal Ahmed Majumder, among others, might be picked for the new leadership in the segregated city units.
Incumbent acting president of AL Dhaka city unit MA Aziz and its General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram might supervise the units from a “special city monitoring committee”, said party insiders.
AL TO RECAST GRASSROOTS UNITS
The party has decided to recast its grassroots units in a bid to prepare the party for the next general elections.
AL president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and its General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam have directed the presidents and general secretaries of all the 73 organisational districts to hold the grassroots council within the next month.
The party constitution stipulates that every organisational district council should be held prior to its national council and prior to every district unit council it must hold council to its upazila, thana and union units.
However, AL on December 29 last year held its national council without complying with the provision and re-elected Hasina as the president and Ashraf as the general secretary of the party.
In the last several months, the AL has been able to hold councils to only 10 organisational districts and some 100 upazila units. AL presidium member Obaidul Quader said many upazila and district units had already prepared for councils.
Failing to hold the council would lead the party central committee to interfere in that district unit to announce a new committee for it, said party insiders.
“Recasting the grassroots units is a routine work. Since the next election is nearing, we must prepare and make the grassroots units vibrant,” Quader told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said if the earlier grassroots committees were recast it would be better for the party.
Asked whether it would be possible to hold the council within the stipulated time, he said it would be difficult, but not impossible.
AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said several grassroots units will be recast drastically to bring change and dynamism in leadership and to prepare the party for the next national polls.
Source:The Daily Star
