BCL bodies inactive, fail to meet regularly

The central executive committee of Bangladesh Chhatra League failed to hold a single general meeting in its three years' existence.
It even failed to form a single fresh committee of its district units and units at educational institutions. The one-year tenure of a key unit committee--Dhaka University unit--expired last year. The Chhatra League committees of Dhaka university halls were formed eight years ago.
The three-year-old Chhatra League central committee was formed with a two-year tenure on April 4, 2006. Mahmud Hasan Ripon was made president and Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton was made general secretary.
They failed to hold a single general meeting even though they are supposed to hold one every year. They had however held a few emergency general meetings but most of the Chhatra League leaders did not even know when those were held.
Chhatra League central leaders alleged that Ripon and Rotan themselves make most of the organisational decisions and they never bothered to inform others.
Ripon and Rotan recently decided to impose a three-month ban on organisational activities of Chhatra League's Dhaka Medical College unit, following a factional clash on campus, over telephone, without informing anyone.
Chhatra League sources said organisational activities of Jahangirnagar University unit was also suspended without any kind of meeting.
Surprisingly, none of the Chhatra League leaders know how many members the Chhatra League central executive committee has or how many Chhatra League vice presidents are there.
According to the Chhatra League constitution, the central executive committee should be a 201-member committee. However, the full list of committee members was never made public.
The president of Chhatra League does not even have the information.
Ripon told The Daily Star that they could not form fresh committees in most of the Chhatra League units since student politics had been banned during the tenure of the last caretaker government. He however said the organisation would be restructured shortly.
Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina formed the Ripon-Roton committee with an age limit of 29. Her decision was met with criticism as some "more qualified" Chhatra League leaders were deprived of key positions.
The deprived Chhatra League activists also launched a movement against the Ripon-Roton-led central executive committee on Dhaka University campus.
"Sheikh Hasina gave the responsibility of Chhatra League to Ripon and Roton with great expectation and hope. But these young leaders miserably failed to fulfil her dream," a Chhatra League central leader told The Daily Star requesting anonymity.