Searching for leaders in casualty wards
The party that inexorably, remorselessly, and mercilessly talked of "unnayaner joar" (flood of development) for the last five years is now looking in the casualty wards for leaders to prop it up. This amply shows how serious leadership crisis exists in BNP at the moment. Delwar shaheb has wiped off the boyish smile from Hannan Shah's face by saying that there is no post of coordinator in BNP.
Hannan Shah has been going around in knee-deep flood waters, playing the taped speeches of his netri, claiming himself to be the coordinator with such devotion! But Delwar just turned him into a "nobody" overnight! Have a heart, Delwar.
Things don't look happy at all in the BNP para. Supporters of three groups are flexing their muscles in a bid to take control of the central office. In Banani, Hawa Bhaban looks like a haunted house. Those great netas are not anywhere in the scene.
Come to think of it readers, the same people who had sent some senior leaders to the casualty wards are now trying to woo their heart and soul to bring them back to the party. The Hannans and Mannans and Delwars are reportedly chasing some BNP old-timers like Oli Ahmed and Dr. Badruddoza Chowdhury, as they can clearly perceive their own level of acceptance among the people.
But the question is: Has the nation become oblivious of what BNP did to Dr. Badruddoza Chowdhury when he was the president of the country? Not a bit, and neither has the nation forgotten how some cadres tried to set fire to his house when he formed Bikalpa Dhara, a new political party.
We also remember how nakedly a motorcycle gang had attacked a meeting of Bikalpa Dhara, when Badruddoza Chowdhury had to run for his life. Earlier, when his son was trying his best to create the image of a die-hard BNP junior-level leader, he had launched a TV program that gained popularity within a very short time because of his suave articulation and skillful presentation.
It was a program basically for the youth. But it proved to be too much for the BNP young Turks lurking in the Windy Castle. They loathed the idea of anyone surpassing their bhaijaan in looks, smartness and skill in public speech.
Since the prince could not match the skill of Badruddoza's son, he and his gang did what they could do best. One fine morning, the program came to an end. Then the local BNP cadres in his constituency tried their best to do all sorts of things to scare him away. But the young lawmaker also proved to be a hard nut to crack.
Oli Ahmed had gotten himself out of BNP after accusing the chairperson of promoting a coterie of loyalists and her own sons and brothers. Since then, he has been going around in his constituency delivering fiery speeches before a credulous audience on the corruption of BNP leaders. Then we witnessed the comical episode of how he and Badruddoza Chowdhury got together, formed LDP and then broke apart. It was a short and violent marriage ending up in a divorce. Soon, both of them got lost in the background.
But we heard through the grapevine that at the moment the market value of Oli Ahmed has gone up a few notches, like the price of shares in the curb market. The squabbling netas of various BNP splinter groups are chasing him across the country with offers to join the party once again. Will Badruddoza and Oli Ahmed go back to BNP? A million dollar question. But, as they say, there is no last word in politics. Let us wait and see.
What's cooking in Singapore?
Singapore seems to have become the most popular destination of our politicians, especially of Awami League and BNP. They are going there for all sorts of reasons, like curing a bad digestion system to holding secret meetings with other politicians, gleefully away from the prying eyes of the media camera. Many of them are already there cooking up something. What's happening there? Let us wait and see.
Shahnoor Wahid is Senior Assistant Editor of The Daily Star.
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