AL softens on left-outs

Several reformist leaders of the ruling Awami League are likely to return to the Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) at the party's next national council to be held on December 29.
Insiders say the AL high command is seriously considering incorporating party stalwarts Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Jalil, Suranjit Sengupta, once important leaders Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed and AKM Jahangir who were dropped from the ALCWC at its last council held on July 24, 2009.
However, chances of return are slim for some other reformist leaders, including Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Abdul Mannan, Mukul Bose and Abu Sayeed, the insiders add. Talks with the party high command have been going on for the last three days about their inclusion.
They say the possibility of some of the reformists being included in the AL's highest decision making body is high as the party has only one year in hand ahead of the next parliamentary elections. The party at this stage wants to adopt an inclusion policy, considering different aspects, they add.
The AL wants to avoid as many rebel candidates as possible in the next elections. The party believes if the reformist leaders are incorporated, the issue of rebel candidates can be properly handled with the senior leaders' intervention.
Besides, the AL high command has apparently forgiven the leaders who wanted to curb Sheikh Hasina's absolute power as the party chief during the past military-backed caretaker government. It engaged some of them in different organisational activities.
The insiders say a senior leader has long been persuading Hasina to take some of the senior reformists in the party.
A highly placed source says the party chief was misinformed about the activities of some reformist leaders by a neighbouring country's intelligence in 2008 and early 2009. The AL chief later got proper information and took a soft line with them.
In the meantime, Hasina has talked with many of them and seemed to be satisfied enough to bring some of them back by expanding the present size of the ALCWC by creating new posts like special general secretary. Among those who would return, Saber might be given an important position, sources added.
A few senior leaders, however, think Tofail and Jalil have lesser possibility of coming back. Tofail's refusal to be a minister seriously disappointed the prime minister a few months ago, the insiders pointed out.
These senior leaders believe Jalil put the government in an embarrassing situation when he spoke about some crucial issues which he had been requested not to discuss publicly.
Many party leaders say the reformist leaders wanted to implement the “minus two formula” -- sending Hasina and Khaleda Zia into retirement -- with the help of the military-backed caretaker government.
AL stalwarts Amu, late Abdur Razzaq, Tofail and Suranjit had made their personal reform proposals public instead of placing them in the party forum, which led Hasina to remove them from the central committee in the last council.
Until that party council, Amu, Razzaq, Tofail and Suranjit were members of the AL presidium, the highest policy making body. But then they were moved to the least functional AL advisory council with no say in party affairs.
It is widely believed by the AL rank and file that some mid-ranked leaders were with them.
AL Organising Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim told The Daily Star there was a possibility that a few of the leaders known as reformists would be brought back to the central committee.
Asked about the fate of the former reformist leaders, AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury, also agriculture minister, said they had not discussed the matter with the party chief yet.