BNP sets Sept 30 deadline for district units to form committees at grassroots level

After its anti-government movement failed to make desired impact twice, the BNP has now decided to revamp party organisations at the grassroots level across Bangladesh.

Sumon Mahmud Chief Political Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 August 2015, 07:07 PM
Updated : 15 August 2015, 07:48 PM

The party has set Sep 30 as the deadline for the district units to form new committees at all Thana, Union and Ward level by organising councils.
 
A letter in this regard has already been sent to the 75 district committees, said Joint Secretary General Md Shahjahan, who signed it in absence of acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam.
 
Shahjahan on Saturday night told bdnews24.com: “The initiative has been taken following directives from Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
 
“The district unit committees have been asked to from new committees by Sep 30 by organising councils or through meetings.”
 
“Decision will be taken centrally for the unit which will fail to form the committee,” he said.

In the letter, the party recommended that those who at all levels of the organisation were inactive and showed incompetency during the party’s movements to leave their posts in the committees.
 
“Apart from Intimidation, personal interest and compromises have weakened and damaged our movement. Those who have failed to carry out their duties should step down from party posts or from various front committees on their own and allow qualified people to take charge,” it reads.
 
Shahjahan said the district unit committees would be formed through councils after the panels of the lower level units were constituted.
 
Tenures of 69 of the 75 district level units have already expired. Sixteen of those expired committees are functioning as convenor committees.
 
BNP leaders have hinted that the party may hold the National Council in October.
 
The party and its allies had boycotted the 10th general election held last year after its demand for a polls-time caretaker government went unheeded.
 
The alliance had continued its agitations for several months with the goal to thwart the polls.
 
But the Awami League-led coalition won the polls in a landslide in their absence and came to power for a second consecutive term, leading the BNP to halt their programmes for the time being.
 
The 20-Party alliance started its movement again on Jan 5, the first anniversary of the last national election, demanding a snap election under an impartial administration.
 
Over 100 people were killed across the country in the three-month-long violent movement that was marred by nationwide blockade and general strikes.
 
Hundreds of cases were filed against leaders and activists, including Khaleda Zia, of the BNP and its ally parties over the arson and bomb attacks and sabotages.
 
The movement, however, was called off in April. Since then, the BNP chief and senior party leaders have been saying that fresh programmes will be announced after the party is reorganised.