BNP schedules council for March 19; considers three locations for the meet

The BNP will hold its National Council on March 19, before a similar meet of the ruling Awami League.   

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 Feb 2016, 08:59 AM
Updated : 5 Feb 2016, 09:10 AM

The party has sought permission for the gathering, naming three locations in Dhaka, joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told a press brief on Friday.  

“We had sought permission for three locations. We wrote to the housing authorities and they wrote back saying they have no objections. Now, it’s a matter of police approval.”

He said police had not responded to their letter yet.
 
The BNP was also considering the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) or the Engineers Institute as possible venues. 

Earlier, acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had announced plans to hold the council in the third week of March. 

The Awami League has scheduled their council for March 28. The previous one was held on Dec 29, 2012.     

The Representation of the People Order stipulates political parties must hold councils every three years but the last one the BNP held was six years ago.  

It did not see any change in leadership. Khaleda Zia, who came into politics after the assassination of her husband and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, has been the BNP chairperson since 1983. 

Khandaker Delwar Hossain was made secretary general in 2009. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was made acting secretary general after Hossain’s death in 2011.