After a series of informal discussions with party leaders, Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday said Brigadier (retd) Hannan Shah's claim that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was planning to bring changes in all tiers of the party, including the post of secretary general, is a "misleading propaganda".

Meanwhile, BNP sources said intra-party feud over controlling the leadership after Khaleda's departure has taken a serious turn as she may leave the country at any time without giving any formal direction to her leaders and workers.

Hannan Shah, former jute minister and adviser to the BNP chairperson, told a private television channel on Friday that the BNP chairperson would overhaul the party and remove its secretary general.

Claiming to have visited Khaleda that afternoon, he said she had planned to clean up the party and its front organisations and equip them with honest and efficient leaders.

"If necessary, the BNP secretary general might be changed," Hannan said, adding, "The secretary general's activities since the state of emergency was imposed are not in favour of the party."

He also said Khaleda told him that she is unwilling to leave the country. "Why will I leave the country?...I am ready to face the trial if I have done anything wrong," Hannan quoted Khaleda in the TV interview.

Sources also said a group of leaders already took initiative to control the party just after Khaleda's departure and that is why they have started campaigning against the party's present leadership.

A few former ministers and leaders are waiting for the appropriate moment to vie for party leadership, dropping Mannan Bhuiyan and his followers in the way to reorganising the party, the sources added.

Reacting immediately to newspaper reports on Hannan's interview, party leaders started gathering at Bhuiyan's Gulshan residence since early yesterday morning. They said Hannan had no scope to meet Khaleda and he has not been active in the party politics for a long time.

Mannan Bhuiyan urged the leaders, activists and supporters of the party to stay united and not to be confused over such kind of statement. "I fear this kind of interview will destroy the unity of the party at a time when reforms and cleansing drive within it are going on," he said.

"Many party leaders and workers expressed their anxiety to me over telephone--many of them even met me after watching the interview," he said in a statement read out to reporters after a meeting with some former BNP lawmakers and leaders at his residence yesterday.

The BNP leaders and workers termed Hannan's claims a "conspiracy" to weaken the party.

Dhaka City Mayor and BNP city unit President Sadeque Hossain Khoka said, "[Khaleda] will take decision considering the image of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.

"We have to think about the people and the leaders who are in jail," he said, adding that it does not matter what a few people are claiming to the press.

Khoka said, "Political decisions cannot be taken unilaterally...It should be collective as the party is in crisis. So, the senior leaders will take proper decision."

After hearing Bhuiyan's reaction, Hannan Shah told reporters, "At last these leaders have managed to come out of their shells and met Bhuiyan."

Meanwhile, Bhuiyan said the reforms within the party had been undertaken under the leadership of the chairperson since the declaration of the state of emergency, but later the process was stopped following the ban on indoor politics.

"The leaders and workers have remained isolated due to the state of emergency. Yet, many leaders, activists and well-wishers personally met me and I have always requested them to have patience and remain united," he said.

Among others, BNP Standing Committee Member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, ZA Khan, Luthfor Rahman Khan Azad, Rezaul Bari Deena, Masud Arun, GM Siraj, Sardar Sakhawat Hossain Bakul, Barrister Shajahan Omar, Abdul Hye, Omar Bhuiyan, Shamsuzzoha Khan, SA Sultan Tito, Dr Ziaul Huq, Shahidul Islam Beltu, Shahidul Islam Talukdar, M Shahiduzzaman, Ataur Rahman Khan, Dr Dewan Salahuddin, Matiur Rahman Talukdar, Abdul Aleem, Ali Newaz Khaiyam and Dr Rustam Ali Faraezi met Bhuiyan yesterday.