Some members of the policymaking body of Bangladesh Nationalist Party were surprised as the BNP chief blamed them for discontinuing agitation after January 5 unilateral general election boycotted by BNP and its partners.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at a meeting of the national standing committee, the party’s top policymaking body, on Thursday night admitted that discontinuing the movement after January 5 was their mistake, according to the meeting sources.
She put the blame on her party’s policymakers as they did not give her advice at that time to continue the agitation to force the incumbent government to cancel the January 5 election and hold a fresh election, the sources added.
Khaleda told the meeting that grassroots level leaders and even foreign diplomats were in favour of continuing the movement, according to the meeting sources.
A standing committee member on Friday told New Age that the party chairperson did never seek their opinion whether the post-election movement should be continued or not.
‘I was surprised as she (Khaleda) blamed us,’ he said on condition of anonymity. He said such agenda did never come at any meeting of the standing committee after the ‘farcical’ January 5 election.
The BNP standing committee member said the party chief should ask those leaders from whom she takes advice, particularly about movement. ‘We are not close to her (Khaleda) like her close advisory circle,’ he said.
He said it is difficult to say on whose advice the BNP chairperson took decisions.
In reply to a question, he said none of the standing committee members made any response when the BNP chairperson put the blame on the standing committee members for not suggesting her to continue the agitation after the one-sided election.
Another standing committee member said it seemed that the BNP high command was guided by some ‘unseen’ policymakers who had no connection with politics and people.
He said many BNP leaders did not know about the programme of March for Democracy to Dhaka on December 29 last at the critical stage of the movement.
Failure of the March for Democracy had totally frustrated the movement for resisting the January 5 election and ultimately it proved a defeat for them, he observed.
Some policymakers thought that whether the decision of BNP’s joining in Upazila council elections soon after the last general election under Awami League government was wise against the backdrop of losing many lives of the party leaders and activists in the anti-election movement.
If it was judicious then whether it was wise to boycott the January 5 election, they questioned.
The movement died down following joining the local government election, said some members of the standing committee.
Source: Newage
The best thing Khaleda Zia can do to BNP is to hold party council immediately and establish total democracy in electing party leaders at all levels because of the following reasons:
1. Committed and sacrificing leaders will be elected in all levels.
2. There will be no rebels and party fractions.
3. Democratic practice will not betray Mrs Zia unlike some dubious and untrustworthy leaders.
4. People in general will be happy to support BNP, the only fully democratic mainstream political party.
5. Better quality people will be attracted to the party and the practice of democracy will keep the party alive beyond Khaleda Zia.
6. If the above happens, Awami League will be no match to BNP in future politics in Bangladesh.