AL's anti-reformist strategy makes BNP hardliners happy
With the exclusion of “pro-reform” leaders from ruling Awami League's leadership, BNP hardliners are now optimistic about the omission of its “pro-reform” leaders from the party committees.
However, many reformist BNP leaders believe that competency, honesty and commitment, not their role during the state of emergency, would be the key factor in securing place in the committees.
"We are not following Awami League. We shall form our committees from grassroots level democratically. I believe competent and honest leadership will come to the fore in the party through council," BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said the grassroots-level leaders' expectation of making the party more democratic under Khaleda Zia's leadership will be reflected in the upcoming council slated for the end of this year.
Wishing anonymity, a BNP hardliner said like Sheikh Hasina, the BNP chairperson should also drop the pro-reform leaders from the party's policy-making bodies.
"The councillors will surely speak against the reformist leaders who wanted to banish Khaleda Zia from the party," he said.
The pro-reform leaders have failed to prove their commitment to the party, the BNP leader added.
Earlier, a number of BNP leaders including Joint Secretary General Mirza Abbas on several occasions urged Khaleda not to consider for party leadership those who sided with party's expelled leader Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan after the 1/11 changeover.
Party insiders however think that it would be tough to run the party smoothly if all pro-reform leaders are dropped from party committees. Taking the matter into consideration, the party chairperson has already engaged a number of reformist leaders in party activities.
They said the BNP chief has held talks with a few pro-reform leaders including Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Osman Farruk and Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed and asked them to work for the party.
Mahbubur Rahman was made standing committee member while party Vice President Osman Farruk headed the party panel formed to analyse the budget for fiscal 2009-10.
The BNP chief also assigned Hafiz to handle the Tipaimukh dam issue on the party's behalf. Besides, Khaleda might appoint Khoka the convener of the Dhaka city unit.
Some party leaders who remained loyal to the chairperson after the 1/11 changeover believe that the leaders known as corrupt and patrons of militants are more harmful for the party than the reformists.
"The party has to single out those who dragged the party into crisis through their misdeeds and persuaded the chairperson to take some wrong decisions that led to the 1/11 changeover," said a former state minister, preferring anonymity.
If the changeover was the result of a conspiracy, the party must find out whether any BNP leader was involved in it and if found guilty, actions should be taken against the person, he added.
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