The committee is likely to come into being in seven to 10 days
The BNP is likely to form a 21-member Dhaka city unit convening committee dissolving the existing one as it has failed to play any vital role in the anti-government campaign, said party insiders.
The committee is likely to come into being in seven to 10 days. A number of senior leaders, however, requested the BNP chief to wait until Dhaka city unit BNP Convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka is released from jail.
“BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia called a meeting of the Dhaka city BNP leaders on Monday,” Abdus Salam, member secretary of Dhaka city unit BNP, told the Dhaka Tribune on Friday.
Rafiqul Islam Miah said: “Dhaka city unit will be reshuffled soon to intensify the movement. The party is working on it and devoted and tested leaders will be evaluated when the committee is reshuffled. The chairperson is looking after the whole process.”
Rafiqul also said a proposal to split the Dhaka city unit Dhaka city (North) and Dhaka city (south) – into two organisational units has also been discussed but nothing has been finalised.
Rafiqul, who was behind bars during the January 5 poll, held responsible the Dhaka city unit for its failure to build up any strong resistance in the capital.
Party sources said Khaleda might discuss the formation of the new committee on that day and Standing Committee member ASM Hannan Shah was likely to get charge of the city unit BNP but he was unwilling to take it on grounds of illness.
A senior leader said if Hannan refused to take the charge, Rafiqul Islam Miah or Mirza Abbas might be given the job while Abu Sayeed Khan Khokon might become the member secretary.
The tenure of the convening committee will be one month during which all thana and ward committees will be restructured.
Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chnadra Roy, joint secretaries general Amanullah Aman, Mohammad Shahjahan, Barkatullah Bulu, Jubo Dal Chief Moazzem Hossain Alal, central leaders Abul Khayer Bhuyan, Asaduzzaman Ripon, Habib-un-Nabi Sohel, Abdus Salam, city leaders Salahuddin Ahmed, Abul Bashar and MA Kayum might be in the 21-member committee, sources added.
The committee was formed on May 14, 2011 with Sadeque Hossain Khoka as its convener and Abdus Salam as member secretary. That committee was asked to form the ward and thana committees within six months but they failed.
Khaleda repeatedly asked the city unit leaders to take to the street to wage movement but they did not pay any heed, rather they went into hiding to avert arrest.
On Thursday night, Khaleda Zia held a meeting of the party’s Standing Committee at her office and decided to reshuffle the city BNP, said party insiders.
Source: Dhaka Tribune