AL to probe rebel-backer lawmakers' roles

The Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) yesterday decided to serve notices asking rebels why they should not be expelled for contesting against the party-nominated candidates for mayor posts in last month's municipality polls.

It also decided to form investigation committees led by the AL's divisional secretaries to find the roles played by AL lawmakers and grassroots leaders who backed the rebels.

The party's highest decision-making body, at a meeting at Gono Bhaban with the party's President Sheikh Hasina in the chair, also decided to extend its tenure by six months and hold its triennial council on March 28, said party sources.

ALCWC's tenure expired on December 28, 2015 and it failed to hold the council, as had been previously decided, that month for, as the leaders said, the municipality polls.

Earlier, the party suspended around 55 rebels, 19 of whom secured victory, and identified 22 rebel-backing lawmakers.

The 22 are Golam Rabbani, Shamim Osman, Kabirul Hoque Mukti, Ali Azgor Tagor, Mokbul Hossain, Dhirendro Debnath Shambhu, Shibli Sadique, Abdul Matin, Habibur Rahman, AM Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Abul Kalam Azad (former information minister), Mohibur Rahman Manik, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Abdur Rouf, Abul Kalam Azad, Shamsul Hoque Bhuiyan, Hasibur Rahman Swapon, Monoranjan Shil Gopal, Didarul Alam, Fazley Karim Chowdhury, Abu Reza Muhammad Nezamuddin and Golam Mostofa.

Hasina asked the organising secretaries to hold by January 30 pending councils at 10 districts -- Mymensingh, Gaibandha, Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Faridpur, Shariatpur, Bhola, Jhalakati and Comilla (north and South).

General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam was tasked with forming council preparatory committees.

The meeting decided to discuss at a parliamentary party meeting whether union parishad polls would be held in a partisan manner.