BNP Road March
Rebels' vain attempt to meet Khaleda
On the first day of the two-day long BNP-led road march towards the country's southern region yesterday, the party leadership was confronted with a group of agitating rebel leaders and activists of the party at Ruppur under Ishwardi upazila in Pabna.
The agitating workers, numbering around 10,000, tried to halt the motorcade to voice their grievances against Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, personal assistant to party chairperson Khaleda Zia and district unit president and the general secretary.
But they failed to talk to Khaleda owing to strong resistance by the law enforcers.
Former president of the district unit of BNP Sirajul Islam Sardar, Pabna Municipality Mayor Kamrul Hassan Mintu and Ishwardi Municipality Mayor Mokhlesur Rahman Bablu led the demonstration.
They chanted slogans against Shimul, who had allegedly placed his followers, Maj (retd) KS Mahmud and Engr Habibur Rahman Tota, in the positions of district unit president and general secretary, thereby depriving party members and supporters of the services of 'dedicated' leaders.
“Through the demonstration we have tried to make our party chief understand the need to reform the leadership of Pabna BNP. Without a council Shimul Biswas produced a so-called 'pocket' committee president and secretary despite the fact that there is still a full-fledged district unit committee in Pabna,” said Sirajul Islam Sardar.
Kamrul said although the party high command had ordered the formation of a convening committee through mutual understanding, Shimul had ignored the directive.
Under orders from the party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam, “we have stayed on the highway instead of Dashuria rally to avoid any untoward situation,” said Kamrul.
It may be recalled that a full-fledged committee was formed in December 2009, with Maj (retd) KS Mahmud and Engr Habibur Rahman Tota as president and general secretary respectively. The central unit BNP then suspended Kamrul Hassan Mintu and Anisul Haque Babu.
The suspensions turned the Pabna BNP into two factions. Both the factions have observed party programmes separately and have clashed many times on different occasions.
Shimul Biswas could not be contacted over phone.
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