BNP has decided to intensify its movement with tougher programmes on completion of the party’s ongoing mass contact campaign outside the capital.
The decision was taken at a meeting of BNP standing committee members on Thursday night held with Khaleda Zia in the chair at her Gulshan office, a party standing committee member has been quited to have said anonmously.Meeting sources said Khaleda was very aggressive at the meeting and blasted members of the BNP standing committee, the highest policymaking body of the party, for their inaction over intensifying the movement and strengthening party activities.
She also voiced her utter annoyance over the failure of party’s Dhaka city unit to boost up its activities and strength it to counter the government’s repressive acts.
“The government didn’t allow us to hold a rally in Dhaka on November 8, but you couldn’t do anything in counter, rather played a silent role,” a policymaker quoted a frustrated Khaleda Zia as telling the meeting.
Khaleda also told the policymakers, “You’re also not vocal against the government’s widespread corruption, not even in talk-shows.” She asked them to play a proactive role in carrying out a strong campaign.
The BNP chief reiterated that the party made a blunder by halting its anti-government movement just after the January-5 elections.
“We should have continued our movement after the January-5 election. No one of you suggested me to continue it. Even foreigners at that time told me why aren’t you on movement,” an angry Khaleda said.
The BNP chairperson urged the policymakers to remain alert so that the party does not repeat such mistakes in future.
She came down hard on Mirza Abbas saying he could not invigorate the Dhaka city unit although a considerable time has elapsed since its reorganisation.
As Abbas tried to defend himself saying it is difficult to complete the overhauling process of the unit amid repressive acts of the police, she stopped him rejecting his views.
Khaleda asked him to complete the necessary preparations within a short time by reorganising the unit for waging a tough movement this time in Dhaka. At one stage, she said, “I’ll take to the street and you all will have to join me.”
When some standing committee members replied in the positive, a frustrated Khaleda angrily said, “You won’t do that. I’ll have to do that alone.”
BNP standing committee members RA Gani, Moudud Ahmed, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Jamiruddin Sircar, MK Anwar, ASM Hannan Shah, Rafiqul Islam Miah, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan attended the meeting. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was present.
Earlier, she sat with her advisers on Monday and with vice-chairmen and joint secretaries general on Tuesday.
The BNP chairperson has been on a countrywide mass contact campaign to drum up public support in favour of her party-led 20-party’s demand for a fresh inclusive election under a non-party administration. Her mass contact will end with her visit to Comilla on November 29. – UNB
