BNP going through a 'crisis': Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the party is going through a “crisis”, and is working to regroup itself.

He was speaking at Pachuria of Ghior upazila of Manikganj around 2:30pm, at the grave of late BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, marking his 8th death anniversary.

Fakhrul said the party is going through a “crisis” as its leader Khaleda Zia is serving time in jail “despite being innocent”, adding that the party is now working on rebuilding itself, to reclaim democracy, give back people's rights and oust the “autocratic” and “fascist” government.

BNP joint secretaries Moazzem Hossain Alal and Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, and Delwar's sons Khondaker Akbar Hossain Bablu and Khandaker Akter Hossain Dablu were present there.

Mirza Fakhrul said Khandaker Delwar Hossain was politician with strong morale and personality. He was also a Language Movement activist and a freedom fighter.

Born in Manikganj in 1933, Khandaker Delwar started his political career through the Language Movement of 1952. Delwar started active politics at the national level in 1957 by joining National Awami Party (NAP). He played an important role in the mass uprising in 1969 and also contested the 1970 election with the ticket of NAP.

Delwar joined BNP in 1978, and became a member of the national standing committee of the party in 1985. A man of illustrious political career, he was elected five times a lawmaker from Manikganj's Ghior-Doulatpur constituency.

He died on March 16, 2011 at the age of 78, at a hospital in Singapore.