Khaleda inaugurates BNP’s sixth National Council

The sixth National Council of the BNP has begun.

Chairperson Khaleda Zia inaugurated it at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh at Dhaka’s Ramna at around 11:30am on Saturday by hoisting the national flag and releasing balloons.

Khaleda and her son Tarique Rahman have already been elected chairperson and senior vice-chairman uncontested.

The party positions will be formally announced at the end of the council, which is being held three years behind schedule and six years after the last one.

After a heavy downpour early on Saturday unsettled the buntings at the site, party leaders supervised the redo efforts later.

Khaleda’s white SUV entered the venue at around 10:45am with scores of leaders and activists who came from all across Bangladesh to welcome her.

After the inauguration and speeches from several top leaders and foreign delegates, the council proceedings went into a break for the Zuhr prayers and lunch.

The closed-door main session, where the elections of the new committees are due, began in the afternoon.

After inaugurating it, Khaleda Zia took her seat on the stage, joined by the senior leaders of the party.

They included Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee members Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman, Tariqul Islam, ASM Hannan Shah, Jamiruddin Sircar, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Gayeshwar Chandra Raoy and Nazrul Islam Khan.

A 42-inch television was set up on the stage’s for Tarique Rahman, who joined the council through video conferencing from London.

Veteran lawyer barrister Rafique-Ul Haque, former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Prof Emajuddin Ahamed, Prof AFM Yusuf Haider, Prof Mahbubullah, Zafrullah Chowdhury, journalists Shafik Rehman, Ruhul Amin Gazi, Mahfuzullah and Prof Sukomol Barua were seen in the guest rows among others.

Many foreign delegates stationed in Dhaka, including those from the US, the UK, Pakistan, India, Russia and Kuwait, also joined the council.

BNP leaders and activists from around the country had started gathering at the venue - the Institution of Engineers and a part of Suhrawardy Udyan – from Saturday morning.

The party has managed seats for 3,000 councillors, 45,000 delegates and 16,000 guests.

Apart from choosing the new committees, some amendments to the party constitution will also be placed before the council for approval.

After losing power in 2006, the BNP failed to make any headway with its anti-government agitations in two phases.

It is not represented in the Parliament after boycotting the 10th parliamentary elections.

The party held its fifth National Council on Dec 8, 2009, at Bangabandhu International Conference Central.

Khaleda Zia, who took over the reins of party leadership without any contest three decades ago, is now facing a challenge to revitalise the party.