Published on 12:01 AM, July 24, 2014

Courageous leaders for wards, thanas

Courageous leaders for wards, thanas

Abbas-led team decides in 1st meeting

Courageous activists who are ready to make sacrifices in the post-Eid anti-government movement will be inducted into BNP's ward and thana level committees in the capital, newly formed Dhaka city unit convening body decided in principle at its maiden meeting yesterday.
The committee members said brushing aside nepotism and factionalism, dedicated and tested persons who would not show their back during the movement would be picked up.
The meeting chaired by Dhaka city unit chief Mirza Abbas was held at Bhashani Bhaban in the capital's Nayapaltan.  
“Everyone in the meeting agreed to reconstitute all wards and thanas of Dhaka city with honest and courageous persons who have made contributions in the party and who played a brave role in the past,” Abdul Awal Mintoo, joint convener-1 of new Dhaka city body, told The Daily Star.
The committee also vowed to strengthen the crucial chapter “at any cost” as part of preparations for the upcoming movement demanding a fresh national election under a non-party administration.
The immediate past Dhaka city committee led by Sadeque Hossain Khoka was disbanded on July 18 due to their failure to wage anti-government movement in the capital last year, especially from October to December. Khoka had led the unit for nearly 17 years.
To bring dynamism in the crucial unit, Khaleda Zia on July 18 night approved the Abbas-led 56-member committee.  

In his speech yesterday, Abbas claimed that the new committee had been a cause of headache for the government, saying the ministers were making “insane” remarks about it. “I don't know why the Awami League is bothered about our committee,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Forty-one of the 56 members were present in the first meeting.
Abbas denied any internal conflict in the new committee, but when asked about his reported discontent for making Sohel his deputy, he did not make any comment and asked Sohel to talk about it. Sohel said, "Abbas is my elder brother....There's no rift between us.”
Abbas had avoided media and party leaders for four days since formation of the new committee.