Dhaka, Feb 26 (bdnews24.com) — Haidar Akbar Khan Rono was elected presidium member of the Communist Party of Bangladesh.
A faction of the traditionally Pekingnite Workers' Party of Bangladesh merged with the Muscovite Communist Party.
The announcement was made on Friday after a meeting of the two parties.
Rono broke away from the Rashed Khan Menon-led Workers' Party after a disagreement mainly over his joining the Awami League-led Grand Alliance.
Later he formed Workers' Party (Reformed).
Md Habibur Rahman and Shahriar Md Firoz of the Workers' Party were elected CPB central committee members.
Rono, a student leader of the sixties, has served as president of Chhatra Union.
On the merger of the parties, CPB president Manzurul Ahsan Khan said, "We have merged after thorough self-criticism as we have realised our wrongs over the last 44 years."
Communists had split in Bangladesh like elsewhere in the world over conflicts between China and Russia, said Khan at the press conference at Moitri Conference Auditorium of CPB headquarters in Dhaka on Friday.
"But the reunification process has been set in motion and will continue."
A closed door meeting preceded the press conference where Workers' Party (Reformed) leaders sat with CPB leaders.
CPB president Manzurul Ahsan Khan introduced Haidar Akbar Rono as the new CPB presidium member at the beginning of the press conference.
Answering a query, he said, "Talks with left-leaning parties like Samyabadi Dal, Revolutionary Workers' Party and Workers Farmers' Socialist Party is going on."
CPB general secretary Mujahidul Selim read out the joint declaration.
He said, "The central committees of both parties have agreed to merge at a joint meeting and the unified party will bear the name Communist Party of Bangladesh."
"All the organisational decisions undertaken by CPB will remain effective until the 10th party congress," he said.
"Members of the two parties will be regarded as members of Communist Party of Bangladesh."
New CPB presidium member Rono urged all leftists to unite under the flag of the Communist Party.
"Process of unification has begun and I urge all to stand under the same flag after dispelling prejudice, obstacles and inertia," he said
"If we were united, our red flag would not just fly at CPB office but also atop the Bangabhaban and Ganobhaban," he said
Replying to a query, Rono said, "I had no intention of dividing the Workers' Party but I could not tolerate the way they ran in the parliamentary elections under the ruling party's symbol shedding their own ideologies."
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