The Awami League is going to split its Dhaka city committee into two in a desperate bid to avoid intra-party conflict, according to party sources.
Two separate committees –Dhaka City North and Dhaka City South — will be announced within couple of weeks, Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Daily Star on Tuesday.
“The committee will be split the way the Dhaka City Corporation has been divided into two,” he said.
After announcement on the split, separate committees will be formed in respective upazilas, wards and unions, added Hanif.
Party insiders told The Daily Star that Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, the incumbent secretary of the AL city unit, might lead one of the committee.
The grassroots leaders of the party however have expressed their uncertainty on whether the move will minimise the intra-party conflict.
Seeking anonymity, an AL leader acting as in charge of forming the new committees, said the decision is taken in line with the recent divide of Dhaka City Corporation.
President of the Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, ordered the move to install motivation of action into the AL city unit committee ahead of the bifurcated election to the Dhaka City Corporation, Hanif said.
Meanwhile, MA Aziz, acting president of AL’s Dhaka City unit, told Bangla daily Prothom Alo that the allegation of conflict of power within the party was not true.
“Believe me, we have no intra-party conflict or clash. It is a smear campaign against us,” he said.
City leaders of Awami League have however come up with opposing views in this regard. Some are supporting the decision while some opposing it.
“The decision to split the AL’s city unit committee might make it organisationally weak,” commented Shahe Alam Murad, organising secretary of Awami League’s Dhaka city unit.
The last city unit committee of AL was formed in 18 June of 2003, over ten years ago.
Source: The Daily Star