BNP reforms marred by internal feud

BNP's reorganisation efforts are getting marred due to internecine clashes over establishing supremacy in the district level committees.

Allegations and counter-allegations from district leaders continue to pour in to the party high command every day.

Against this backdrop, BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain is trying to clear the ill-will among field level leaders through discussion but to no avail, party insiders said.

Delwar has recently said that some allegations and proposals will be placed before the chairperson for the final decision after discussion at the standing committee meeting, the highest policymaking forum of the party.

Party leaders said newly formed district convening committees have not been able to start their work due to intra-party feud in many districts like Barisal, Comilla, Tangail, Sylhet, Pabna, Joypurhat, and Kishoreganj.

Sylhet city committee convened a meeting on Tuesday but it could no proceed due to internal conflict and at one stage the city convener wanted to resign, party's central office sources said.

At least 30 leaders of Kishoreganj district committee on Monday at a press conference demanded exclusion of district convener Fazlur Rahman and his supporters and reconstitution of the committee.

A number of joint conveners and members of Barisal district committee boycotted a party meeting on Monday convened by city convener Mahmud Golam Salek. Joint conveners Ahsan Habib Kamal and Bilkis Jahan Shirin in a statement said Salek has no jurisdiction to convene such a meeting.

Leaders of Faridpur BNP on Thursday formed a human chain demanding removal of Shahjada Mian, newly appointed convener of the district unit.

Joypurhat district convener Mozaher Ali Prodhan and joint convener Golam Mostafa formed separate committees in six upazilas and four municipality units.

Party office secretary Rizvi Ahmed had to intervene to solve the crisis," said a central leader.

A faction of Pabna BNP rejected upazila unit committees saying that dedicated leaders were not included in those committees, said party sources.

When asked about the internal conflict among grassroots leader, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman told The Daily Star, "It's true that complaints are coming from different districts but these are being resolved through discussion."

He said it would not hamper the party's reorganisation process as the necessary measures are being taken to resolve those crises.