Frustration grips Satkhira BNP
4 bigwigs on the run, another abroad since emergency
Frustration has gripped the BNP rank and file in Satkhira as there is none to lead them while indoor politics has been allowed.
The neither has a full-fledged district committee nor a office in the town.
Yesterday, party men were seen gathering at different points of the town and roaming around different private chambers and houses of leaders.
Of the four bigwigs, three are on the run to evade arrest and the other flew to the USA after promulgation of emergency.
District BNP convenor and former lawmaker Habibul Islam Habib, member-secretary of the convening committee Habibur Rahman and former vice-president Abdur Rouf and are on the run. Rouf is also secretary district bus-minibus owners association. Habibur Rahman is chairman of Alipur Union Parishad (UP). Both Habib and Rouf face several cases each.
There is none other than the four to run the party in the district, party sources said.
Sadar upazila BNP president and Labsa UP chairman Abdul Alim and Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal leader and Dhulihar UP chairman Modasserul Haque Huda are on bail. Alim and Huda were in jail for extortion and murder cases respectively.
BNP has no office in the town as the caretaker government demolished its office illegally constructed on Road and Highways land at Itagachha in the town.
Dogged by internal feud, a full-fledged committee of Satkhira district BNP could not formed in last four years despite several moves by the party high command.
The party high command on June 5, 2005 dissolved the district BNP committee headed by MA Jalil and Syed Iftekhar Ali and formed a committee with Habibul Islam Habib and Rahmatullah Palash as president and secretary respectively to form a full-fledged committee.
Amid squabbles among party frontrunners, the party high command on April 22, 2006 again dissolved the committee and formed a convening committee with Habib and Samsuzzoha Bablu as convenor and member-secretary.
Despite repeated instructions by the high command, a full fledged district committee could not be formed. Since then, party activities virtually stopped as the chain of command collapsed, said a senior leader seeking anonymity.
Some dedicated senior leaders have also distanced from party activities.
Another senior leader preferring anonymity said the party, now divided into two groups, has lost credibility among people due to misdeeds by some senior leaders. Satkhira BNP now faces leadership crisis, said two senior leaders of Sadar upazila BNP.
Launch a movement for release of BNP chief Khaleda Zia will be not easy in Satkhira in the present situation, they said.
Party leader Sirajul Islam however said there is no crisis in the party. “The district leaders were implicated in false cases and we believe they will be released one day. Other leaders will run party activities”, he said.
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