Indoor politics fail to activate BNP, Jamaat men in Nilphamari as key leaders held or hiding

BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are facing leadership crisis in Nilphamari district as most of the front ranking leaders, faced with a number of cases, are in jail, absconding or inactive.
On the other hand, Awami League offices at the district town and upazilas are showing lively presence of leaders and workers after allowing indoor politics one week ago.
BNP's district unit president, also the nephew of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Shahrin Islam Tuhin has recently got eight years rigorous imprisonment on corruption charge. To avert arrest he is in hiding now.
Amzad Hossen Sarkar, the former lawmaker from Nilphamari-4 constituency (Saidpur and part of Kishoreganj) is in jail now. He is facing a murder case and a corruption case that are under trial.
The crisis in the district BNP became evident when upazila unit BNP president Alamgir Sarkar accompanied by three or four Chhatra Dal workers on Thursday handed over a memorandum to Nilphamari deputy commissioner demanding that the government release BNP chief former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
There was no prominent BNP leaders with him although many of them enjoyed important portfolios and became wealthy using party image during the five years of BNP-led alliance rule.
Several field level BNP leaders said Shahrin Islam Tuhin, who became the party's Nilphamari district unit president with the blessings of his cousin Tarique Rahman, the joint secretary general of BNP central committee, sidelined most of the leaders and workers including those who did politics with BNP founder late president Ziaur Rahman.
The aides of Tuhin, mostly new and young leaders of BNP, Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal have lost morality and are avoiding party offices in absence of Tuhin, they said.
In Saidpur upazila, known as a BNP stronghold, former lawmaker Amzad Hossen Sarkar, also the general secretary of the local unit, local unit president Abdul Gafur Sarkar and several other party leaders are accused in a murder case and imprisoned. The party workers are hesitant and confused.
Jamaat-e-Islami has a stronghold in Jaldhaka upazila where party leader Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury became lawmaker in 1996 and 2001.
He is now in jail and accused in a corruption case that is under trial. He was also expelled from the party recently.
Replaced Jamaat leadership in Jaldhaka is failing to activate workers while frustrated party men have not even opened their party office here after allowing indoor politics recently.
Meanwhile, in the context of setback faced by BNP and Jamaat in the district, the morale of the Awami League men seem to be very high as local AL leaders, not facing any corruption case, are giving instruction to the workers.
The party lawmaker from Nilphamari-2 constituency, also the central publicity secretary, Asaduzzaman Noor is guiding the party here. The AL offices at the district town and in upazilas are lively with presence of party leaders and workers as indoor politics is allowed now.