Bangladesh News

In a major political development the ruling BNP experienced the largest break-up in its history as a large number of dissident leaders defected from the party just two days before the scheduled date for handover of power to a caretaker government.
The defection en masse came on Thursday protesting ‘record corruption’ and ‘dynasty’ in the party over the last five years.

About 102 leaders including 13 incumbent lawmakers with a state minister, a deputy minister and an adviser to the prime minister among them, resigned from BNP led by its standing committee member Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, a veteran freedom fighter who was also a close aide to late president Ziaur Rahman.

Later the launching of a new political party named Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by former president Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury and Col (retd) Oli Ahmad was announced at a rally in front of Saffron Garden Restaurant in Banani on Thursday afternoon. LDP leaders and activists also brought out a procession at Gulshan and Banani areas following the rally chanting slogans against Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman.

Never before did BNP face such a high profile defection from the party in the last 15 years. During the last general election a few dissident leaders revolted against the party but finally the party high command managed to quell the revolt successfully.

BNP sources said Party Chairperson also Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a party standing committee meeting held on Thursday night expressed her dissatisfaction over the defection of the party lawmakers and asked loyal party leaders to ‘manage’ the defectors and the remaining dissident leaders quickly.

LDP leaders told reporters that Oli Ahmad had been trying to organise dissident BNP leaders over the last six months. A large number of ministers, lawmakers, senior BNP leaders, and former lawmakers agreed to form a new political party under the leadership of Badruddoza Chowhdury and Oli Ahmad.

Among the defectors are former speaker in parliament Shaikh Razzak Ali, State Minister Alamgir Kabir MP (member of parliament), Deputy Minister Moni Swapan Dewan MP, PM’s Adviser on Primary and Mass Education Ministry Prof Jahanara Begum, former state minister Maj Gen (retd) Anawarul Kabir Talukder MP, Barrister Ziaur Rahman Khan MP, Redwan Ahmed MP, Mohammad Kabir Hossain MP, Syed Monjur Hossain MP, Abdul Karim Abbasi MP, Mohammad Abu Hena MP, Ali Qadar MP, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah MP.

Earlier on May 8, 2004 former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury formed Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh and soon afterwards erstwhile BNP lawmakers Major (retd) Abdul Mannan and Mahi B Chowdhury joined him.

On Wednesday night the defecting ministers, lawmakers and leaders gathered secretly in a private hotel at Baridhara and on Thursday morning Syed Manjur Hossain MP, Ziaur Rahman Khan MP and Prof Jahanara Bagum joined them. Manjur Hossain came out from his constituency on a helicopter and Zia went to the hotel directly from the airport after his arrival from London.

Mahi B Chowdhury MP and former BNP leader Shahadat Hossain Selim received the lawmakers at the hotel. Later they joined the first rally of the nascent political party led by AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and Oli Ahmad.

LDP President Badruddoza Chowdhury and its Executive President Col (retd) Oli formally announced at the rally the formation of the new party and its avowed mission of fighting against corruption, terrorism and poverty.

Before the formal declaration came, the defecting ministers and MPs had submitted resignation letters to their hitherto chairperson Khaleda Zia.

In the resignation letters, the contents of which were the same, the defecting leaders said, “Corruption of some ministers, MPs and leaders, led by your son Tarique Rahman, has broken all previous records. This has tarnished the image of the party. It is not possible for any person having a sense of personal dignity to continue in the party anymore. The BNP established by late president Ziaur Rahman is now controlled by Razakars (anti-liberation force), autocrats and corruptionists. Against the principle of democracy, Tarique, without having any protocol, has been abusing state power.”

“The present BNP under the autocratic leadership of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman is the champion of extreme corruption and inefficiency,” Oli Ahmad said at the rally explaining the reasons for their defection from BNP.

He told journalists that the PM’s ‘family’ is involved in corruption and meddled in the affairs of the state and the party.

He said some ‘14 members of Khaleda Zia’s family amassed enormous amount of wealth in a very short time and frustrated administrative moves to curb corruption’.

Despite repeated allegations of corruption against cabinet members, the incumbent government took no action because a share of the ill-gotten money was given to the ‘family’, he said.

The former army officer also an ex-minister mentioned that the government failed to curb price hike, inflation, crises of power supply, diesel and fertiliser. It also failed to deal with deteriorating law and order situation, terrorist bombings and to disclose the sources of illegal arms and the names of terror financiers, he added.

Oli, who was a close aide to late president Ziaur Rahman when they revolted against the Pakistani army to fight the liberation war in 1971, also fulminated against the ‘induction of anti-liberation elements into the government’.

Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury, another founder-leader of BNP said a new journey has begun in the fight against corruption, terrorism and poverty through the formation of LDP.

He alleged that 14 members of the prime minister’s family garnered hundreds of crores of taka through corrupt means.

B Chowdhury — who had been made to make an unceremonious exit from the presidency during this government’s tenure — observed that the PM’s family is ‘corrupt’ and ‘misappropriated’ national wealth affecting ‘most of the cabinet ministers’.

State Minister Alamgir Kabir, a veteran freedom fighter who was accused of patronising militant leaders led by Bangla Bhai, alleged that corruption these days ’surpassed all previous records since the country’s independence’.

“Thousands of crores of taka was siphoned off the country. This is poor people’s money and the people must realise that money back,” he said.

“Who are the masterminds of Islamist militancy in the country?” the dissident minister asked adding that the ’secret’ must be disclosed.

Former speaker in parliament Shaikh Razzak Ali said, “The nation expected this from us as it wants to resist those who want to destroy democracy.”

“We urge the people to join the movement against corruption and the failure of the government,” Redwan Ahmed said.

Former state minister Anwarul Kabir Talukader said, “We will fight against corruption and the dynastic politics in Bangladesh.”

Prof Jahanara Begum, Abdul Karim Abbasi, MA Jinnah, Ziaur Rahman Khan, Ali Qadar, Syed Manjur Hossain, Mahi B Chowdhury and Shahadat Hossiin Selim also addressed the rally.