BNP indecisive about whether to seek time

COUNCIL SESSION
BNP indecisive about whether to seek time
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party seems indecisive about whether to approach the Election Commission for an extension of the deadline for political parties to submit their amended constitutions after having them approved in the party council session.
The Election Commission has set July 25 as the deadline for submission of amended constitutions by the political parties registered with the commission.
Senior leaders of the BNP told New Age that they had not yet decided whether they would approach the EC for time or not for submission of the amended party constitution.
Before the December 29, 2008 parliamentary elections, the party got registered with the commission by submitting a draft of the amended constitution, approved by its standing committee.
Standing committee member Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain told New Age on Saturday he had doubt if any political party would be able to submit their constitutions after getting them amended in council sessions by July 25.
‘It is impossible to hold national council session in such a short period of time. We have initiated the process in a bottom-up approach and it would take some time to complete council sessions at lower units and select the councillors for the national council session,’ he said.
Standing committee member M Shamsul Islam said the party standing committee would make a decision whether it would seek time from the Election Commission.
Mahbubur Rahman, another standing committee member, however, said the party would seek time to complete the process prescribed in the revised Representation of the People Order.
‘We have already begun the process and will follow the RPO obligations by electing leadership from the grassroots and upwards. I think the commission will act rationally and extend the time [to enable us to go by the order] in order to make the organisation more democratic and dynamic,’ he said.
About the delay in beginning the process for the party council session, Mahbub said, ‘It is true that the commission had set the deadline six months ago, but so many political issues have emerged meantime and that is causing the delay… While setting the deadline and even on several occasions afterwards, the commission said it would extend the deadline if the parties so wanted,’ he said and hoped that the commission would continue to show the disposition.
Meanwhile, the party secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain has questioned the ruling Awami League’s latest decision to hold its national council session by the July 25 deadline set by the Election Commission.
‘Awami League had earlier decided to appeal to the Election Commission to extend the deadline,’ Delwar told the BBC Bangla Service on Saturday after the ruling party made the announcement. ‘Why did the party change its mind all of a sudden,’ Delwar wondered.
‘Approval of the party constitution in council session needs time. The sudden change in decision by the Awami League has raised questions.’ Delwar said adding that the BNP would discuss the issue with the Election Commission.
A joint secretary general of the party, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, said, ‘If the Election Commission is so intent on regulating the political parties, let it cancel registration [of parties] missing the deadline.’
‘The parties are much more aware of their own well-being than the commission and know better when council sessions should be convened,’ he said. ‘The commission should not poke its nose into internal affairs of the political parties.’

Courtesy of NewAgebd