Irregular students rule JCD committee
A student body it is, but its central committee is largely without regular students. Even many of the committee members are in their thirties while dozens are facing criminal cases.
This is the composition of the new central committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. Only 40 to 50 JCD leaders of the 201-member committee have been continuing their “studentship” with MPhil and other equivalent courses.
JCD leaders however claimed that there is no need to form its central committee with only regular students.
Among the leaders facing criminal charges is Eshaque Sarkar, organising secretary, who has been sued in around 200 criminal lawsuits, said a leader of JCD, BNP's associated student body.
An accused in the murder case of Buet student Sabekunnahar Sony, Niaz Makhdum Masum Billah has been made a vice president. Sony was killed during a gunfight between two JCD factions in the capital in 2003.
Even Rajib Ahsan and Akramul Hasan, the new president and general secretary of Chhatra Dal, face a number of cases which they termed politically motivated.
JCD insiders said there are at least 30 married leaders and 40 businessmen in the new committee which was approved by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Tuesday night.
Some JCD leaders complained that a few leaders of the new committee had been involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Talking to The Daily Star, JCD General Secretary Akramul Hasan said it is less important that the central committee must have regular students. The JCD picks regular students for new university and college unit committees, he added.
On married members in the new committee, he said the JCD constitution does not bar inclusion of married students in the central committee.
Akram, who is pursuing an MPhil degree after completing BBA, MBA in accounting and another master's degree in Health Economics at Dhaka University, said young leaders dominate the new JCD committee.
Former JCD president Azizul Bari Helal said the new committee is a much better one in recent times and hoped it would perform well under the leadership of Rajib and Akram.
Lack of regular students in the committee was not a problem, he added.
About violation of the JCD charter which stipulates that the central committee should be composed of 101 members, Helal said since BNP is an opposition party, it needs to accommodate more people in the party and its associated organisations.
PROTEST AGAINST NEW COMMITTEE
Some JCD leaders and activists last night staged demonstration in front of the Gulshan office of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia protesting the formation of the JCD central committee.
The new committee members were visiting the BNP chief at the office when the protest was staged, said Chhatra Dal sources.
Earlier in the afternoon, agitating JCD men brought out a procession in front of the Nayapaltan headquarters of the BNP.
Terming the new committee incompetent, they chanted slogans against the new JCD leadership. A few cocktails went off in the area during the protest.
Police picked up three protesters from the area.
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