The ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) is set to hold councils of around 500 time- expired committees at the grassroots level, said senior leaders of the party.
According to party sources, the life-span of about 500 committees at the grass root level has been expired since long. Although the party had taken initiatives to hold councils of those expired committees, it could not be done owing to Covid-19 pandemic which began in March last year.
Party sources also said that due to the failure of holding councils on time, organisational activities of the party have suffered much at the grass root level. Besides, internal conflicts have also been found almost everywhere at the grass root level of the party.
The councils of more than 400 out of 600 committees of different upazilas, thanas and municipal units could not be held for years. There are some committees, which could not hold councils even in the last 22 years. Moreover, there is no statistics on the committees of several hundred units of union parishad and ward levels.
On the other hand, outsiders and intruders are also trying to identify themselves as Awami leaguers to support some of the controversial leaders, who are involved in various illegal acts and corruption.
Official sources of the AL said, since the month of September in 2020, the AL could complete councils of only 32 out of 78 organisational districts. But the rest 46 committees are date- expired.
Party’s senior leaders said with a view to creating new leadership, they had taken initiatives to hold councils of all the date- expired committees before the holding of the 21st council of the party’s central committee.
Party’s general secretary Obaidul Quader, also the minister for Road, Transport and Bridges, had issued a letter on December 10 in 2019 regarding the holding of councils of all the date- expired committees. Following the letter, the process for holding councils of different district committees had also started, but it could not be continued properly. The party could complete councils of only 32 districts and 138 of different upazilas, thana and municipalities. As a result, more than two thirds of the committees could not hold councils.
However, party’s policymakers said since the COVID-19 pandemic situation has started improving they are now hopeful of resuming the process for holding councils of the party’s different units. They are also trying to strengthen the party’s organisational activities.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul quader at a press conference on Thursday admitted that organisational activities of the party were going on in a limited scale in the recent past due to Corona pandemic.
“But, at present, Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed the leaders in-charge to strengthen the organisational activities and sort out the organisational problems”, said Obaidul Quader.
At the press conference, he also directed to start the process of holding councils of the date-expired committees.
Awami League Presidium Member Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak said that the grassroots conference activities would be resumed after the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Initiatives will also be taken to create new leadership everywhere and the party would be strengthened organisationally through the conference.
Meanwhile, policymakers of the AL said apart from the selection of new leadership through councils, intruders, outsiders and controversial people would be excluded from the party. Besides, those who are corrupt and tarnishing party’s image through various irregularities will also be kept outside the new leadership.