Move to tame rebels in BNP, AL

CCC POLLS
Move to tame rebels in BNP, AL
The high commands of both the ruling Awami League and major opposition BNP have taken moves to tame the rebels of the splinter factions in Chittagong to patch up the long standing intra-party feuds ahead of the June 17 election of Chittagong City Corporation, political insiders said, reports NewAge.
Both AL and BNP have been prompted to take such moves to bring the rebels and aggrieved aspirants back to their party folds to check their clandestine bids to sabotage the electioneering of their respective party candidates vying for the post of mayor of  CCC, they said.
BNP supported  mayoral candidate Monjurul Alam Monju and AL nominee immediate past mayor  ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury have been frantically trying to pursue the rebels with a reconciliatory approach, it was learnt.
‘Our high command  have asked the rebels and aggrieved aspirants of the party to work together with the party supported candidate Monjurul Alam Monju burying aside the feuds,’ said president of Chittagong chapter of BNP Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
He said the party high command was very serious about patching up the internal feuds anyhow to bring the rebels and disgruntled leaders and workers back to the party’s fold to help Monju win the election battle.
‘Most of  the rebels here already joined hands with Monju to work for his victory while some others will eventually to follow suit,’ he said.
Khosru claimed that BNP was even trying to entice followers of rival political parties ‘as we want to bring about a change in the port city of Chittagong… most people here want a change.’
Among the aggrieved aspirants Dastogir Chowdhury, vice president of BNP Chittagong city committee and Dr. Shahadat Hossain, general secretary of the same committee already made a reconciliation with Monju while another local stalwart of BNP  Abdullah Al Noman and his supporters still stayed aloof, party sources said.
Former joint convenor of  BNP Chittagong city committee advocate Abdus Sattar, known to be loyal to Abdullah Al Noman, said, ‘We are all keeping silent as the party nominated candidate Monju is not of our choice. We expected party nomination for Noman Bhai to run for the post of mayor.’
‘We feel unhappy that the party high command has taken such a decision to support an outsider in mayoral election,’ he added.
Even the member secretary and some other members of newly floated Chittagong Development Movement that declared Monju as its candidate are not voters in Chittagong city, he claimed.
When asked, member secretary of CDM  Nurul Islam admitted that he was a voter in Rangunia Upazila though he lives Chittagong city.
‘We have some other members who as teachers of Chittagong university are living in the campus,’ he also admitted saying, ‘We are just helping Monju in his bid for the mayoral post.’
When contacted, Abdullah Al Noman said, ‘Actually I thought of contesting for the post of mayor after being approached by many local leaders of both BNP and AL. As our high command supported Monju, I had nothing to do.’
‘Now obviously I will try to help my party candidate whether right or wrong. Party high command also indirectly asked me to work for Monju,’ said Noman.
Meanwhile, AL candidate Mohiuddin Chowdhury said that his party high command had taken a serious step to tame the rebels and aggrieved aspirants of his party in Chittagong to help him win the election again.
‘Our high command already asked them to patch up the intra-party feud and I am also approaching them personally to work with me cordially from the same platform while running for the post of mayor again,’ he said. ‘I am getting positive response from them,’ he claimed.
Mohiuddin Chowdhury meanwhile started visiting the houses of his arch rivals including Aktaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu and incumbent AL MP Nurul Islam Bsc etc, party sources said.