The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a major political party in the country, is going to its 6th national council session tomorrow, Saturday.
Party insiders said the council session will rejuvenate the party workers who have been undergoing repression and oppression.
They also hinted that this time around no elections will be held to elect leadership for any of the party posts.
The party workers are not sure whether the council session will bring about any surprising changes in the party leadership.
The party has almost completed preparations for the session to be held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
At the last minute, the party has got approval to use a section of Suhrawardy Udyan for the the council session.
Party insiders said some 30 to 35 thousand party workers are expected to join the council session with some 3,100 councillors and about 9,000 delegates.
Besides, the council session is also expected to see some 800 local and foreign guests including Dhaka-based diplomats.
The theme of the council session is ‘We must free democracy’ and the slogan is ‘Corruption-misrule must end: Bangladesh the country of democracy’.
All of 11 front organisations of the BNP party based on the ideology of Bangladeshi nationalism have taken out separate posters for the council session.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the party will rise from the ashes like a phoenix with this council.
The fifth national council was held on 8 December in 2008 during which former prime minister Khaleda Zia was re-elected party chairperson and her son Tarique Rahman was made the party senior vice chairman from the senior joint secretary general.
Election was held neither to the post of party secretary general, joint secretaries general nor to the posts of party’s national standing committee last year.
It is very unlikely that elections to those posts will be held this year either.
Alongside expanding the executive committee, there are proposals for sub-committees. The party leaders said that a group of young people might come to leadership if these proposals are passed in the council.
The chairperson’s concept of ‘one leader will be in charge of only one post’ might create scope for inclusion of many young people in the committee.
BNP sources said that some quarters inside the party wants Tarique Rahman as co-chairman of the party, though he was elected as senior vice-chairman unopposed. There was heated debate on Monday among members of sub-committee for party constitution reform.
On condition of anonymity, one of the members of the committee told Prothom Alo that since Tarique Rahman is elected as senior vice-chairman, they don’t see why there is this sudden demand to elect him as co-chairman.
Sources said that five to six members might be included at BNP’s national standing committee. Two vice-chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Selima Rahman and chairperson’s adviser Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury might be included into standing committee.
Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that people are in dark. This council might bring some hope to the people.
Moreover, several sub-committees will be proposed apart from increasing the periphery of the executive committee.
Party insiders said young leadership in the BNP will come up if these proposals are finalised in the council session.
As many as five to six new faces will be added in BNP’s policymaking body the national standing committee, said several BNP leaders.
Of them, party’s two vice-chairmen Abdullah Al Noman and Selima Rahman and chairperson’s adviser Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury are possible faces in the committee.
“There is state-sponsored terrorism across the country. BNP’s national council is going to take place at a time when people are looking for a way out of this situatio,” said Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.
“I believe people will surely see a light of hope through BNP’s council,” he added.
Source: Prothom Alo
