The ruling Awami League (AL) is going to rejuvenate party organisational activities from the grassroots to the central level through several programmes and initiatives.
In addition to driving intruders away from the party, conducting a purging drive inside the party and organisational tours countrywide, the AL has decided to set up its party offices in each district, divisional city and upazila with its own funds.
Party sources said AL president Sheikh Hasina, also the country’s Prime Minister, has already directed the party’s senior leaders to take proper steps in this regard.
Biplab Barua, Deputy Office Secretary of the AL, said the initiative of setting up party offices across the country is aimed at strengthening the organisation and speeding up organisational activities at the grassroots.
He said party general secretary ObaidulQuader, also the minister for road, transport and bridges, has sent letters to all the district level leaders asking them to provide information on the conditions of party offices across the country. The party has also directed its grassroots leaders to initiate steps to set up such offices.
According to party sources, the high command wants to construct buildings for use of AL offices in each district. Some of them would be of five to six storeys. All the associate organisations of the party would also be able to use those new buildings o house their offices.
AL deputy office secretary barrister BiplabBarua said yesterday: “The party high command is thinking of building party offices in each district. It will help grassroots leaders to work for the party in a dedicated way and strengthen the organisation.”
“Actually, it’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s wish. She wants to build a new party office in every district with the party’s own funds,” he added.
AL senior leaders said being the country’s oldest and largest political party, theAL should have its own offices in each district and upazila of the country. They said new party offices will encourage party leaders and workers to work for the organization with their single-minded devotion. It will make grassroots leaders and workers mentally stronger.
Party sources said after a gap of about six months, the AL is now busy with several activities aimed at strengthening the organisation from the centre to the grassroots.
As part of the move, the party has decided to form full-fledged committees of different units to buttress organisational capacities alongside strengthening of a cleansing drive to oust intruders from the party, and leaders involved in various controversial activities, including corruption and irregularities.
Party sources said a list of 8,500 controversial leaders of AL and its various associate organisations has been prepared across the country. AL president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has prepared the list with the help of party’s trusted leaders as well as various intelligence agencies.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already ordered for the formation of full-fledged committees of all the units across the country.
Party leaders said, full committees of the party’s five associate bodies will be announced by this month while councils of the expired committees of the district and upazila branches will also begin soon.
According to party sources, councils of only 32 of the 78 organisational district committees across the country have so far been completed. Although conferences were held, most of them do not have full committees. Only the names of the presidents and general secretaries of the district committees have been announced. But, this time full committees of all the units will be announced.
Besides, a list with the names of leaders of various associate and fraternity organisations of the party has also been prepared. This list is being verified so that no intruder could stay in these organisations and spoil the AL image.
Meanwhile, party sources said, more than 5,000 among 8,500 blacklisted controversial leaders are said to have been identified as intruders in the Awami League and its different organisations. They have become leaders under the umbrella of many senior and influential leaders of the party. But, this time, they would no longer be able to stay in the party.
Moreover, all the senior leaders of the party have also been directed to launch organisational tours across the country and hold councils of different units. AL president Sheikh Hasina issued the directives at the party’s Presidium meeting.
According to meeting sources, Sheikh Hasina has directed all the AL presidium members to launch organisational tours across the country. They have been asked to form teams in-coordination with the leaders in-charge of different divisional units of the party.