Mohiuddin moves to break ice

Chittagong city unit Awami League President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury has taken an initiative to remove the long-standing split between two factions of the unit to strengthen the party ahead of the next parliamentary election.
Mohiuddin, also ex-mayor of Chittagong city, made a rare visit to the residence of his long-term rival Nurul Islam BSc, vice president of the unit and a lawmaker, on Thursday night.
He invited Nurul Islam to attend a discussion which the city unit is organising at Muslim Institute Hall on National Mourning Day (August 15). Nurul Islam and Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Ameen, who lead the faction against Mohiuddin, have been made guest speakers at the discussion.
Party insiders of both the rival factions see it as a positive initiative.
A three-term mayor, Mohiuddin went to Nurul's residence in Khulshi residential area around 8:00pm. Nurul Islam welcomed him and they held a closed door meeting for about half an hour, sources said.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Mohiuddin said he visited Nurul's residence to invite him personally since Nurul and his supporters had been absent in such programmes for a long time.
The faction of Nurul Islam has been separately organising different party programmes after his frayed relation with Mohiuddin grew bitterer over nomination in the 2008 national election.
“I personally requested Nurul Islam not to organise any separate programme on National Mourning Day,” said Mohiuddin. The split should end, grassroots workers no longer like it, he said.
“If we can be united sinking all our differences, the party could surely be able to win all four seats in Chittagong city in the next election again,” he said.
Nurul Islam told The Daily Star that he accepted the invitation and was willing to attend the programme along with all leaders and activists loyal to him. Mohiuddin also invited Afsarul Ameen, joint secretary of the unit, after visiting his home around 9:00pm yesterday.
Mohiuddin said he would invite all the leaders of the unit personally to ensure their participation in the programme.
Before the 2008 polls, Mohiuddin announced a new name, a junior AL leader and businessman Abdus Salam, as a candidate in Chittagong-7 constituency from where Nurul Islam had been contesting for a long time.
Nurul Islam therefore announced his candidacy from Chittagong-8. Mohiuddin stood against Nurul in this constituency too, by supporting another candidate, Shamsul Alam, a businessman, who was later nominated by BNP.
Nurul Islam however achieved party nomination from Chittagong-8 (Kotwali) and won in the election.
Immediately after winning the poll, Nurul Islam had visited Mohiuddin's residence twice to meet him but the latter snubbed him each time.
Mohiuddin grew bitter relation with his long-term supporter Afsarul Ameen due to some "unknown" reasons after few months of the new AL government.
Party insiders believe that Mohiuddin was defeated in the 2010 mayoral election due to the split in the city unit.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had asked the two leaders to end dispute before the mayoral election, and a team of former pro-AL bureaucrats also tried hard to solve the rivalry. But both the attempts ended in failure.