The mainstream opposition parties have welcomed the realisation of a governance failure of the BNP-led ruling alliance by none other than Chowdhury who was instrumental in bringing the BNP back to office in 2001.

But sceptics in the opposition camp suspect extra-constitutional forces may be pushing forward their hidden agenda under the cover of a civil society platform. They expect the former president would clarify his position on whether he represents a party or the civil society.

The ruling BNP says it is not worried about what Chowdhury was up to as, according to it, opposition parties also are of the view that the civil society cannot resolve political problems, rather it is the political leadership that only can do the job.

Two days after his Iftar party where he revealed the plan, Chowdhury leaves for Bangkok today to see his son Mahi B Chowdhury's ailing father in-law Ataul Haque.

Chowdhury has directed his political aides to collect mailing addresses of all political parties, which he would need to initiate the planned dialogue after the Eid-ul-Fitr. Chowdhury is scheduled to return home on November 29, his family said.

Talking to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, a senior BNP policymaker said, "We're not worried. We're watching the situation arising out of Chowdhury's recent activities. We'll do the needful in due time."

Speaking at an Iftar party earlier this month, BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan termed Chowdhury's anti-government statements as an outburst of a person suffering the pangs of losing power.

Main opposition Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil said they were watching what shape the initiative by the former president takes.

"Politicians, not the civil society, dominate politics across the world and politicians are not dictated by the civil society members either. There is no instance in the world where the civil society runs a state," Abdul Jalil told The Daily Star.

"The civil society can help the politicians run the state properly with their knowledge," Jalil noted.

B Chowdhury has not contacted the Awami league, neither has he sent any letter to it, said the AL leader. "We'll consider joining if Chowdhury invites the Awami League to any dialogue," Jalil added.

Jatiya Party (Ershad) Chairman and former president HM Ershad said, "We do not believe in any third force. We belong to a political party and we are trying to form a coalition with others. Everybody will come to know of it after Eid.''

Ershad told The Daily Star that Chowdhury did not contact Jatiya Party either.

Asked about the former president's upcoming dialogue, the JP Chairman said, "If he invites us to participate in his dialogue, we'll consider his invitation."

Anwar Hossain Monju, chairman of the other faction of Jatiya Party, said Chowdhury has brought the squabbling inside the BNP out to public domain. He has turned to the civil society instead of the political parties to resolve the problems, which are very political in nature.

"I think people will not accept any third force led by the civil society. The government has failures and the opposition is staying off parliament. If I am invited to participate in a dialogue initiated by the former president, I'll consider that."

Coordinator of the left-leaning 11-party conglomerate Rashed Khan Menon said, "We're happy that getting out of the power he (B Chowdhury) is now realising what the party, which once he belonged to, is doing and he must do self-criticism as he contributed greatly to bringing this party (BNP) to power."

On Chowdhury's move to form a civil society platform, Menon said one cannot expect the civil society to run the country. A civil society can at best operate as a pressure group.

"He (Chowdhury) has not communicated with us so far to discuss any new ideas but we've to be very clear first whether his move is a political scheme to get back to power," said Menon, who also heads the Workers Party.

Hasanul Haq Inu of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) welcomed Chowdhury's move, saying "his realisation is like the joining of a 'big soldier' in our fight against the alliance government".

Inu fully agreed to Chowdhury's observations that crime and corruption have pervaded society and also shared the latter's sense of urgency on forging a greater unity.

"But before entering any effective dialogue process with him (B Chowdhury), we need to know in clear terms exactly what force he is representing. Is it the civil society or any political party?"

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Mujahidul Islam Selim told The Daily Star yesterday that the problems raised by Chowdhury at Saturday's Iftar party were essentially political and "these must be resolved politically. Civil society cannot solve political problems."

"Mere realisation of problems would not do, let him come up with policy statements envisaging how he intends to get to the solutions," said Selim. "The moment a civil society gets organised to take up political agenda, it ceases to be a civil society and turns into another political party or para-political party."

The CPB leader was sceptical about whether extra-constitutional forces were trying to push forward their hidden agenda through a civil society platform in the guise of resolving political problems.