Nobody willing to take responsibility

The revamp of the BNP's Dhaka city unit is in limbo as most of the senior party leaders are unwilling to take the responsibility of carrying out the job.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia wants either ASM Hannan Shah or Rafiqul Islam Mia to lead a special committee to reorganise the most crucial unit of the party with a view to waging fresh anti-government movement, but none of them want to take the responsibility citing "old age" as the reason, according to sources.
At a meeting with BNP's Dhaka City unit on Monday, Khaleda said she would dissolve the existing convening committee of the city unit and form a special committee within a day or two. The special body will be tasked to form committees at each ward and thana of the capital through councils within a month.
"Three days have passed but Madam [Khaleda] is yet to announce the special committee. The unwillingness of Hannan Shah and Rafiqul Islam Mia is causing the delay mainly,” a Dhaka city unit leader of the BNP told The Daily Star yesterday, preferring not to be quoted.
When contacted, both Hannan Shah and Rafiqul told The Daily Star on Tuesday that they lack physical fitness for shouldering the responsibility.
"In 1994, I was supposed to be the secretary general of the BNP. How can I carry out the task of overhauling the Dhaka city unit of BNP in 2014?" said 72-year old Rafiqul.
Hannan Shah, 70, said, "Young leaders should be picked for such a huge task of revamping the most crucial unit of the party".
Many city unit leaders, however, say the senior leaders do not want to accept the charge as it would be hard for them to form new committees defying "serious internal conflicts" between Sadeque Hossain Khoka, the convenor of Dhaka city BNP and a vice-chairman of the party, and his archrival Mirza Abbas, a standing committee member.
"Both of them [Khoka and Abbas] have strong influences over different ward and thana committees in city. They will interfere during the formation of new committees and try to maintain their influence over them," said a city unit BNP leader.
The conflict between the duo became evident soon after the existing convening committee of the city BNP was formed in 2011 with Khoka as the convenor, a post Abbas too had been vying for, according to party insiders. Abdus Salam was made the member secretary of the committee.
Many opposition activists told The Daily Star that Abbas's cell phone was found switched off throughout the day during the much talked about March for Democracy of the BNP on December 29 last year.
It is widely believed within the party that conflicts between Khoka and Abbas is one of the main reasons behind BNP's failure to forge a strong anti-government movement in the capital. Abbas and his men were found almost inactive during the entire phase of movement that was aimed at resisting the January 5 election, which was boycotted by the BNP-led opposition alliance. Eventually, the election was held, the Awami League again formed the government and the BNP ended up having no representation in parliament for the first time since 1991.
The Khoka-led convenor drew flak from the party chief as well.
In Monday's meeting, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia lambasted the convening committee for its "total" failure to form thana and ward committees in the city.
"In some wards and thanas, you [Salam] have formed pocket committees comprising people loyal to you ignoring the dedicated and tested men of the party," president of Mohammadpur thana Jubo Dal Haji Yousuf, who was present at the meeting, quoted Khaleda as saying.
Salam represented the committee in the meeting as Khoka is currently behind bars in eight cases of violence.
Criticising the committee, Khaleda also said, "You have totally failed to wage anti-government movement in the capital. This was because you and your men did not bother to take to the streets during the movement.”
Khaleda also accused top leaders of the convening committee of "compromising" with the government, Yusuf told The Daily Star.
In the meeting, Khaleda also announced that she would appreciate only the dedicated, sincere and tested men in the new committee of the BNP's Dhaka city unit.