SM Mizanur Rahman
Debacle in Dhaka city corporation polls has fueled the frustration, uncertainty and mistrust among the leaders and workers of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Apart from the two mayors, BNP backed most councillor candidates failed to win in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) elections.
Besides, the party’s dawn-to-dusk hartal in the capital city on Sunday failed to draw public response as the city life was almost normal.
Party’s leaders and workers were not seen active during the polls day on Saturday while they were also not found in the field during the Sunday’s hartal.
According to the party insiders, as BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is now in jail and party’s Senior Vice-Chairperson Tarique Rahman has been living in London since 2007, party’s chain of command has not been maintained properly developing crack and creating indiscipline inside it.
It has been noticed that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party also failed to send its polling agent in the most polling centres due to lack of coordination among the leaders and workers.
On other hand, as dedicated and qualified field level leaders failed to get party tickets, they became demoralised. As a result, the party has also started becoming isolated from the people.
It has been proved that BNP, which ruled the country thrice, now has become politically bankrupt as the party had never valued and excised democracy.
The party always had resorted to violence and committed various crimes to go to power instead of showing respect to the people.
Common people accused the BNP of engaging in violence and carrying out bomb attacks sensing imminent election defeat. And the party now lost its senses seeing huge public support for pro-liberation forces.
And it has been proved again in the DSCC and DNCC polls held on Saturday raising questions among the people whether the party wanted to contest the election at all or foil it.
As a result, the party’s firm determination to turn around and bring qualitative changes in the party, remain miles away mainly due to bitterness among the party ranks and files.
Country’s people are now very cautious about choosing their representatives as they do not want to witness the repetition of killings, corruptions, irregularities, and patronising of war criminals.
On the other hand, Goyeshwar, Rizvi and others hardliners want to make crushing blow to Sheikh Hasina right now.
According to their latest observation war is the only solution but Mirza Fakhrul, Moudud and other moderate leaders of the party want a systematic progress of the present political situation.
As a result uncertainty and confusion have already started looming large over the politics and leadership of the party.
So that, the party’s dream to turn around and put pressure on the government to free it’s chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia from jail and hold reelection under a non-party government has faded away intensifying frustrations, uncertainty and confusion among the leaders and workers of the party across the country.
The hardliners will not make any compromise over their chairperson Khaleda Zia’s release from jail. And they will take to the streets to realise their seven-point demand if the government continues to show its rigid stance on not accepting those.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir talking to reporters alleged the results of the elections to two Dhaka city corporations were announced as per the “government’s desire through a media coup”.
“The government has invented a new strategy of rigging vote silently through EVMs. The results of the city polls were announced as per their (govt’s) desire through using their new weapon - EVMs,” the BNP leader said.