No post for rebels in party

The ruling Awami League has warned its dissidents that the rebel candidates in different elections will not get any post in the party.

AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader issued the warning yesterday ahead of the elections to different local government bodies, party insiders said.

The Election Commission is going to hold more than 4,100 polls to union parishads, upazila parishads and municipalities by December. The AL is finding it difficult to manage the dissidents in the local body polls and by-elections.

Speaking at the AL's secretary-level meeting at its Bangabandhu Avenue headquarters in the capital, Quader warned that the party would handle the rebel candidate issue with an iron hand in future.

He said rebels would not get any post in the party and they would not be picked as party nominees.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the rebel candidates would be in the party only as primary members, meeting sources said.

On September 9, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the AL president, pardoned 20 expelled dissidents after receiving letters apologizing.

The AL in July 2009 included a provision in its charter for expelling rebel candidates from the party.

At its national council in 2016, the AL adopted the same measure for rebels in local body polls stating that they would be expelled without being served any show cause notice. But the measures did not prove to be much effective to deter the rebels.

In the last national election in 2018, the party saw rebel candidates in almost all constituencies.

However, the latest warning from the AL secretary general apparently indicated that the party has adopted a slightly liberal attitude towards the rebels.

At yesterday's meeting, the AL general secretary dismissed any possibility of holding an early national council of the party and national polls.

The AL held its last triannual national council in 2019. The next council is due next year while the next national election is scheduled to be held in 2023.

Yesterday, Quader instructed party leaders not to join any programmes of any "parasite organisation" under the banner of Awami League.

After AL's assumption of power in 2009, several hundred "parasite" organisations have emerged like mushrooms with names of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his family members and the Liberation War tagged to their names.

The AL general secretary directed party leaders to stop organising a programme by Bangladesh Muktijoddha Projonmo League marking its founding anniversary.

A podium which was set up near the AL headquarters to hold the event was removed soon after Quader gave the instruction.

Terming the Projonmo League an "extortion party", the road transport minister asked AL leaders not to join any programme of these types of organisations.

"Some organisations are engaged in extortion. They are extortion parties. They just use the name of the party for their personal gain. Their activities are totally against the policy and ideology of our party," a meeting source said quoting Quader.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the AL general secretary said this time the Election Commission would be formed in an acceptable way.

"The outgoing Election Commission was constituted through a search committee, formed by the president. There was representation from BNP also."

Coming down heavily on the BNP, Quader said, "BNP has started hatching new conspiracies before the formation of the new Election Commission. The party is making evil attempts to make the commission controversial as the country is heading towards the next parliamentary elections."

'NO MORE CARETAKER GOVT'

Speaking at a programme in Tangail, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak yesterday said there would be no more caretaker or polls-time neutral government in Bangladesh to oversee national elections, reports UNB.

"As per the constitution, a fair and neutral election will be held in the country through the Election Commission under a government elected by the people," he said.

Razzak, also an Awami League presidium member, said BNP has to get elected by the people by joining the national election if it wants to return to power.