The internal feuds in the BNP have intensified in Rajshahi amid the party's countrywide movement calling for the ouster of the government.
Rajshahi district and the Metropolitan units of BNP are learnt to be in a dishevelled state as many veteran party leaders are learnt to be reluctant to participate in the programme of the one-point movement for fall of the government.
The same conditions have been prevailing inside the associate and the sister organisations of the party. Even some BNP leaders are seen locking into quarrels and scuffles in trivial issues like riding and taking a position on the stage and standing on the front row of any party programme.
The district Convener of Rajshahi BNP Abu Sayed Chand is serving in jail for more than four months.
Though the district Convening Committee of Rajshahi BNP was formed on July-5, 2019 for a three-month period, four years have already elapsed and no fresh committee has been formed yet. An acute dissatisfaction has been prevailing among district leadership in this connection. Many BNP local leaders could not support Abu Sayed Chand in an important post as the district Convener.
Moreover, the activities of Abu Sayed Chand and his controversial statements made many senior party leaders embarrassed. As a result, many district-level BNP leaders were observing the party's central programmes separately.
Meanwhile, the dispute among BNP metropolitan unit leaders and activists has also intensified regarding the formation of the Convening Committee of the party in December 2021. The BNP leaders and activists then locked into clashes and a complaint of breaching of discipline was sent to the central committee of the party against the Member Secretary of the newly formed committee.
After the formation of the committee, central party programmes are also being observed separately in Rajshahi.
It is learnt, BNP leaders including the Advisor of BNP Chairperson, former Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation Mijanur Rahman Minu, BNP central leader and former RCC Mayor Mosaddeque Hossain Bulbul, BNP leader ShafiqulHaqueMilon, former BNP MP Nadim Mostafa and Tofazzal Hossain Topu were in the leading roles of BNP in Rajshahi. But, the BNP central committee leaders have completely ignored and disregarded the opinions of those party leaders and the leadership of Rajshahi BNP has been awarded to the novice party leaders.
Even the comparatively new party leaders have not been included in the committee. As a result, anger prevails among the tested, conciliatory leaders of the party.
A senior BNP leader in this connection said, those who are the leading, front-ranking leaders of the party for the last 15-years were discarded and the committee has been formed with the non-political and personally intimate persons of the central leaders. The central committee leaders and the newly formed committee leaders have failed to reunite the party leaders. As a result, indiscipline in the party is continuing.
BNP Central Committee leader, Advisor to BNP Chairperson, Mijanur Rahman Minu refused to comment in this connection. He, however, asked to question the party committee leaders in this regard.
Ershad Ali Isha, Convener of Rajshahi Metropolitan unit of BNP in this connection said, ' All the disputes have been settled and we are proceeding together.'
The district BNP has been running with the Convening Committee for the last four years. Among 23 organisational units of the district, only seven have full-fledged committees. The Convener of the district committee Abu Sayed Chand is in jail. As a result, the district BNP is in a disheveled condition.
On December 9, 2021, the nine-member Convening Committee of BNP, Rajshahi Metropolitan unit was announced. There were prompt protests from the party insiders against the committee. However, the Member Secretary of the Committee Mamun-Ur-Rashid managed to approve a 61-member full-fledged committee from the centre. The feud further intensified in the party with the approval of the full-fledged committee.
On June 6,2022, BNP leaders including the Convener of the committee Ershad Ali Isha, Senior Joint Convener Nazrul Huda, Joint Convener Delowar Hossain, BNP leaders WaliulHaque, Aslam Sarker, BazlulHaque and Joynal Abedin in joint signatures applied to the centre to remove the Member Secretary from the committee.
According to party sources, BNP Chairman (in-charge) Tareque Rahman has heard about the dispute among party insiders through video calls. He advised everyone to work unitedly.
BNP Convener Mamun-Ur-Rashid in this connection informed, 'The allegation of taking any decision without the consultation of the senior leaders is not correct. Everyone cooperated with him. There is no crisis in the party. We are all united and will remain united. We are also united in the movement to oust the government and are working unitedly in the field and will remain united.'