All set for show of strength

Preparations are afoot by Saifur loyalists to accord a warm reception to him and stage a big showdown by mobilising a huge crowd at Rikabibazar in the city.

The reception was planned at a meeting of Saifur loyalists in the four-party alliance and a section of city elite days ago when he threatened to resign centring a row with young BNP lawmaker Ilyas Ali for his "unwanted comments" against him. Saifur is a lawmaker from Sylhet Sadar constituency.

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Sylhet district and city units of BNP and its front organisations held several rallies at different places in the last few days to make the reception a success.

The local 4-party alliance held a meeting Friday night to discuss details to arrange a big gathering.

But people have a mixed reaction. Talking to this correspondent, many city dwellers hoped Saifur would not resign now for strategic reasons. He will complete the present term of the alliance government, they said.

But Saifur-Ilyas row has done a great damage to the party, many of them said.

Political observers and BNP insiders said intra-party feud in Sylhet widened in last two weeks and spread to field level in greater Sylhet region, which will affect it in the next parliamentary election.

Saifur loyalists among the elite in Sylhet formed a forum styled Amra Sylhet Bashi. At a recent press conference, its leaders urged the BNP chief and prime minister to take action against Ilyas Ali and threatened tougher agitation if Saifur resigns.

On the other hand, followers of Ilyas also organised rallies in Balaganj and Biswanath upazilas in his constituency and in Osmaninagar thana in the city in last few days.

Meanwhile, a group of leaders of Golapganj upazila BNP at a press conference yesterday demanded expulsion of the ruling party lawmakers M Ilyas Ali and Syed Mokbul Hossain for "causing the present crisis in Sylhet BNP".

Former vice-president of the Golapganj upazila BNP Gias Uddin Ahmed readout a written statement at the press conference, held at Sylhet Press Club, attended by a number of local Union Parishad chairmen and other senior party leaders.

In the statement, it had been alleged that independent MP Syed Mokbul Hossain, who joined BNP about two years after the last elections, is mainly responsible for the crisis.

It criticised Mokbul's role for causing damage to BNP committees in Golapganj and Beanibazar upazilas since his joining the party.

They called upon party high-ups to take steps against Syed Mokbul and Ilyas Ali.