Looks for honest leaders for party revival
Staff Correspondent
BNP is now suffering from a severe crisis of suitable and clean- image leaders for the posts of secretary general and national standing committee members of the party.
Party insiders said change of the incumbent secretary general is now a matter of time as most of the party leaders want to see a new one capable of gearing up party activities across the country.
While the BNP chairperson is looking for a fresh and capable young leader with clean image for the post of secretary general, a former state minister with no corruption allegation against him has come into discussion among party men for the vital post, some party leaders said.
Besides, some senior members of the standing committee might be made adviser to the chairperson while some others might be dropped due to alleged corruption.
Party Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain has already said the process of reorganising the party after the upazila election.
Earlier, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had announced the party would be revamped from top to bottom through democratic process.
Against this backdrop, standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain has been trying to bag the post of secretary general since the party’s debacle in last month’s general election with Delwar holding post.
Moshrraf is learnt to be interested also in contesting parliamentary by-election in a Bogra constituency but the party high command is annoyed with him due to recent media reports on a huge amount of wealth allegedly stashed by him in UK, indicating his involvement in money laundering.
The party high-ups have decided not to make any statement in favour of any leaders who have corruption allegation against them. And they will not take any responsibility in this regard.
“BNP will not defend any leaders if there are corruption allegations against them,” a party leader told this correspondent yesterday.
“Drastic changes will be made in the party standing committee as none its members who contested the parliamentary election could win, and most of them are controversial and are accused in corruption cases, ” he said seeking anonymity.
Among the standing committee members, Saifur Rahman, Khandaker Delwar, Chowdhury Tanbir Ahmed Siddiky, Moudud Ahmed, Khandaker Mosharraf, Khandaker Mahbubuddin Ahmad, Shamsul Islam and Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman contested the polls and got defeated.
Two other members — RA Ghabi and Abdul Matin Chowdhury– did not contest. Both are suffering from old age complications.
Some insiders of the party said the chairperson might pick MK Anwar, Hannan Shah and Nazrul Islam Khan as members of the standing committee.
“Those who have corruption allegation against them and got defeated in elections several times might be dropped from the standing committee,” a former lawmaker of the party said. “Senior leaders like Saifur, Ghani and Mahbubuddin might be included in the chairperson’s advisory council, ” he added.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
