Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party appears to be lacking in coordination about its current movement against the government as most of its eight front and two associate organisations are out of touch with one another, giving a lacklustre performance. Top leaders of the front organisations and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal said that they were in hiding to avoid being arrested and junior leaders said that they had not been properly guiding during this ‘crucial’ time of the movement against the government.’
The Juba Dal president, Moazzem Hossain Alal, is in hiding and the organisation’s general secretary Saiful Alam Nirob has followed in his footstep. Other on the Juba Dal central committee, set up on March 1, 2010, are not in touch with one another and also with leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The BNP’s assistant youth affairs secretary Mohibul Alam Swapan said that the current Juba Dal committee had not been effective in the movement because of a lacklustre performance of the central leaders. They are also not in contact with BNP leaders.
‘Juba Dal leaders with commitment to the organisation have not been evaluated by central BNP leaders and those who are opportunists weigh their benefits and losses before engaging in the movement,’ he said.
Juba Dal’s organising secretary AKM Mozammel Haque passed the blame on top BNP leaders. He said that Juba Dal was ‘trying hard’ to spearhead the movement but the leaders were ‘confused’ about the attitude of top BNP leaders.
Seven top leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, including the president,
Abdul Quader Bhuiyan Jewel, and the general secretary, Habibur Rashid Habib, are now in jail.
Bazlul Karim Chowdhury Abed, who was the acting president, was also arrested two weeks after assuming office. Two vice-presidents and two joint organising secretaries have also been arrested.
Mizanur Rahman Sohagh, Chhatra Dal’s communications secretary, said that they were lacking in coordination. He said that there were groupings in the central and the Dhaka University unit which were holding them back from movement on the streets.
Two top leaders of Jatiyatabadi Sweschasebak Dal — the general secretary, Mir Sharafat Ali Sapu, and the organising secretary, Shafiul Bari Babu — have been in jail since November 15, 2013. They were arrested in connection with cases related to violence.
Al Amin, a central leader of the organisation, said that the president, Habib-un Nabi Sohel, was in hiding and others were not taking part in any the movement.
A 35-member Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal central committee for 2011–2013 was set up at its national council on June 6, 2011. The organisation also has committees in all the 64 districts.
No central leaders of Sramik Dal are now in jail but most of them are in hiding to avoid arrest after being accused in cases related to arson attacks, explosion and vandalism, leaders said.
Twenty district unit presidents and secretaries of Sramik Dal are now in jail. The organsiation’s general secretary Jafrul Hasan said that they were in a difficult situation. He said that the the government’s ‘new style of repression’ had held them back.
‘How could we intensify our movement on the streets? The government is making blanket arrest. If am arrested in a political case, it is fine. But how can we intensify four movement if the government arrests us in cases related to arson or bomb attacks?’ he said.
Leaders of other front organisations — Mahila Dal, Krishak Dal, Tanti Dal, Ulema Dal, Matsyajibi Dal, Muktijoddha Dal and Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha — said they had not been under ‘pressure’ form the central leadership to
intensify street agitation and felt that they were treated as ‘showcase’ organisations.t
Courtesy of New Age
