Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee
The Awami League, which swept the elections, is considering significant changes in the membership of its national committee to make the party more dynamic, and is concentrating on including new faces in its central committee.
The party wants to give scope to the young, honest and energetic leaders to join its national committee as it has done in the cabinet that was formed after assumption of state power, sources said.
Of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 31-member council of ministers that was sworn in on January 6 and the 31 members of the new cabinet, most are ministers for the first time.
The Awami League, to elect a new leadership to run the party for the next three years, is likely to hold its national council session in late March or the first of April. After holding the meeting, the party will form the councils of its grassroots-level units.
The AL’s central working committee, at a meeting that is likely to be held later this month or the first part of February, will finalise the date and venue for holding the council session.
‘We want to hold the party’s national council after the upazila elections and before the union parishad polls,’ AL spokesman and LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters on Wednesday.
The upazila polls are scheduled to be held on January 22 and those of the union parishads are likely to be hold in April.
Besides, the AL has to ratify the changes in its constitution made by the central working committee for registration with the Election Commission. The party must ratify the provisions in its national council within six months after the elections. The AL was registered with the EC in November.
Although the tenure of the AL national committee is three years, its national council, which was due to be held in 2005, could not be arranged. The AL’s previous council session was held in December 26, 2002 when Sheikh Hasina was re-elected as the party president and Abdul Jalil as the general secretary.
Party insiders said the leaders who were convicted and who played controversial roles after the political change-over in January 11, 2007 might be deprived of the key-posts through the council session’s decisions. But the senior leaders of the party might be included in the party’s advisory council to share their experiences with the young leaders.
Moreover, the party is planning to step up its organisational activities. ‘We will continue our party activities besides running the country, and I will sit at party chief Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office regularly to keep an eye on party activities,’ said Ashraf.
Referring to the council, the AL spokesman said its national council would be attended by some members of the existing district and upazila committees, and the party, after forming the national committee, would re-organise its grassroots-level committees.
Responding to a query whether they would bring about changes in the party’s constitution at the national council session, Ashraf said they have approved the proposal of reforming the party’s constitution, and ratifying the changes made to register the party with the Election Commission, at party’s central working committee’s meeting.
‘Some more provisions might be changed in accordance with the requirements of the time,’ he added.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
