Internal Feud Rife in BNP

Assault on rival, revolt against committees

16 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Star National Desk

Internal feud has surfaced anew in BNP Magura, Kushtia and Pabna units over formation of upazila, municipality and union committees. In Magura, district BNP Joint Convener advocate Rokonuzzaman Khan, who belongs to the faction led by Convener Kabir Murad, was assaulted by his rivals at Mohammadpur upazila headquarters Sunday evening, according to our correspondent. Rokon came under attack when he along with three other joint conveners of the district unit went there as part of organisational tour ahead of the upcoming upazila council. Leader of the other faction Joint Convener Mokaddes Hossain termed the incident 'unexpected' and 'unfortunate'. When contacted, District Convener Kabir Murad said the incident occurred following an altercation between Rokan and a union level leader over organisational activities. He, however, claimed that those who were involved in tender manipulation and toll collection during party's rule are now creating chaos with connivance of with some ruling party men to foil the upcoming council of the party. Intra-party feud in Magura BNP surfaced after formation of the district unit with Kabir Murad as convener in June this year. In Kushtia, a faction of the district unit led by Joint Convener Minhazur Rahman Alo and former joint secretary AK Samim Arzoo has demanded removal of Sohrab Uddin from the post of district convener. They also declared Sohrab Uddin 'unwanted' in the district for his “anti- party activities”. The declaration came from a rally held in the district town on Sunday. The aggrieved leaders alleged that Sohrab formed convening committees in all six upazilas, four municipalities and in town unit on August 4. They said most of the leaders included in the committees were reformists, they said. District BNP sources said the rival group has started forming counter committees in upazila, municipality and town units. They have already formed five counter convening committees in Daulatpur, Khoksa, Kumarkhali and Kushtia Sadar upazilas and in Kushtia town unit, sources added. Our Pabna correspondent reports: A rival faction of Faridpur upazila BNP at a press conference here yesterday announced that it would hold a council of the upazila unit tomorrow (Wednesday). The leaders of the faction alleged the district convening committee is trying to form a “pocket committee” without holding council. 'We are going to hold the council to elect the leaders of the upazila unit through democratic process,” the leaders said.