Bangladesh News

Leaders of Awami League (AL) have become frustrated by the recent arrests of some of their party colleagues including the party’s Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader, and Chittagong City Corporation Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Out of frustration no party leader visited AL President Sheikh Hasina’s Sudha Sadan residence, AL’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue, and Hasina’s political office in Dhanmondi following the caretaker government’s ban on ‘indoor politics’.

Earlier, Hasina instructed her party leaders at a central working committee meeting to come to the offices regularly to have internal discussions in a bid to bring reforms in the party.

About the arrest of Quader, the AL chief told reporters at Birdem Hospital in the capital that Quader is a ‘clean man but unfortunately he has been lumped together with the thieves’.

“I have no grief for the ban on politics, but my sorrow is that we have been lumped together with the thieves,” said Hasina while visiting her party’s ailing Presidium Member Zillur Rahman in a city hospital where he had been admitted on Wednesday.

The frustrated leaders including some presidium members kept their cellphones switched off till filling of this report at 7:30pm yesterday. While trying to contact AL presidium members Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta, their cellphones were found to be switched off.

But AL Presidium Member Kazi Zafarullah told The Daily Star yesterday that they are closely observing the present situation when the present caretaker government slapped a ban on ‘indoor politics’.

“We are observing the situation and trying to understand the context,” said the AL leader adding that senior leaders of the party will talk to the party chief on the current situation today.

About the arrests of Quader and Mohiuddin, he said it was not right to arrest the two AL leaders without specific charges. “As we support the ongoing drive against corrupt elements,” the AL leader said adding, “They should clarify the reasons behind the arrests of our leaders.”

Many other mid-level AL leaders told the Daily Star that they have no clue why their leaders like Quader and Mohiuddin were arrested. Many of the leaders even said they are bewildered and frustrated by the arrests.

On the other hand, some of the party leaders contradicted the view and said there must be some allegations against the leaders whose names are on the list of corrupt people.

“But we want to know the reasons behind the arrests so that we can bring forward clean leadership in the party,” said an organising secretary preferring not to be named. He also said they believe that a fair political environment will come soon as, in his words, the country cannot move forward without democratic politics.

Another organising secretary said, “We have nothing to say about the arrest of Obaidul Quader as there is no specific allegation against him.”

“We should quit politics under the circumstances,” said the AL leader in an emotion choked voice.