Gaibandha BNP leaders fall apart over new dist body

Some senior party leaders are demanding scrapping of the 101-member district committee headed by Hamidul Huq Chhana, saying it has been formed "undemocratically".

The list of names in the new committee reached Gaibandha on December 3 from Dhaka after approval by the party high command, party sources said.

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It has been formed as per suggestion of Chhana, excluding at least 25 "dedicated" leaders and workers, some of the "aggrieved" leaders alleged while talking to this correspondent yesterday.

Some of the "aggrieved" leaders held a protest meetings on Monday while some others sent memorandums to the party high command demanding reconstitution of the committee.

To resolve a six-year deadlock over formation of a district committee, BNP First Joint Secretary General Tarek Rahman called a 'council' of Gaibandha BNP leaders at the party central office in Dhaka on September15 and invited 62 'councilors' from different areas of the district.

The council elected Hamidul Huq Chhana president, Anisuzzaman Khan Babu general secretary and Gausul Azam organising secretary of a new district committee and decided to include all the 62 councilors including three women in it in the next course.

But in the list sent on December 3, all the 62 leaders were not included, party sources said.

Protesting this Anisuzzaman Khan Babu and Gausul Azam jointly sent a fax message to Tarek Rahman on Monday, demanding reconstitution of "his (Chhana) self-made district committee".

They alleged that Chhana was earning money illegally from various sources by using the name of Hawaya Bhaban (where some party leaders sit in Dhaka).

On the same day, a party meeting was held at Shaghata BNP office rejecting the new committee.

Presided over by Shaghata BNP president Mohammed Ali, the speakers demanded a fresh committee within 15 days and threatened of "greater movement" for non-compliance.

The new committee also sparked protests in Gobindaganja. Presidents and general secretaries of BNP units in all the nine wards in Gobindaganj municipality sent a joint memorandum to the central BNP office for "re-constitution" of the new district committee.

Talking to this correspondent, BNP lawmaker Abdul Mottaleb Akanda, (elected from Gaibandha-4) also expressed dissatisfaction over the new committee as he was not given a befitting position.

When contacted, Anisuzzaman Khan Babu said he is "under pressure from deprived" leaders and workers for reconstitution of the committee.

Another "deprived" leader Kamrul Hasan Faruk said, "I was president of district committee twice, its vice-president twice and president of district Krishak Dal once, but this time I am nowhere in the district committee."

Chhana could not be contacted as he is accompanying Tarek Ramhan in a tour of northern districts.