Rajshahi AL Council: Leaders chosen through selection to avert discontent
Awami League selected leaders for Rajshahi district in the party unit’s triennial council yesterday without holding an election, to avert intra-party dispute.
After the council ended at Rajshahi Shilpakala Academy auditorium, many of the 360 councillors who were prepared for an election expressed their dissatisfaction. They, however, said they would accept the central committee’s decision for the party’s greater interest.
AL Presidium Member Mohammad Nasim announced former lawmakers Meraj Uddin Mollah and Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara as the president and general secretary of the district unit.
“The main strength of our party is the unity in the grassroots,” Nasim said, calling upon all to stand by the new leaders.
AL Joint Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzman Liton and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam were present during the announcement.
Before the selection, Nasim sought proposals for candidacy for the two posts, party insiders said.
Three leaders -- Meraj Uddin Mollah, Raihanul Haque and Md Asaduzzaman -- proposed their names for the president post while six sought the post of general secretary. Other than Dara, the six include lawmaker Ayen Uddin, Layeb Uddin Lablu, Abida Anjum Mita, AKM Asaduzzaman and Alfor Rahman.
The central leaders then asked the candidates to sit together and select one leader for each of the posts.
They could not reach any decision and told the central leaders that they would agree on a selection by the party chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Then the central leaders took opinions of the councillors on whether they would agree on the selection of the leaders and the councillors raised hands to the affirmative.
Hours later, the announcement of the selection came.
“I know that I have to be happy with the selection. I have nothing else to say,” Md Asaduzzaman, a contender for the president post, said.
“As a politician with years of experience, I expected to be chosen. I will have to get over this despair of not being chosen. It will take some time,” Layeb Uddin Lablu said.
Alfor Rahman said the councillors were prepared for an election, but they didn’t oppose the selection. He said, “The selection has created a balance of power in local politics. The new leaders were not enjoying any office in recent past. There is no reason to be dissatisfied with them,” he said. Meanwhile, on condition of anonymity, an executive body member of the outgoing district committee said that the new leaders might create division in the party. He said the new president Meraj Uddin Mollah was expelled from the party for taking part in the 2014 general election independently -- going against the party’s decision. The new secretary, on other hand, failed to secure party nomination during last general election for his detachment with the grassroots -- following allegations of corruption against him, the AL leader added.
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