AL for common stance with 14-party allies

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Presidium members of Awami League held a meeting at the residence of the party’s Acting President Zillur Rahman in the city yesterday. Photo: STAR
Awami League (AL) yesterday decided to take a stance common to the other components of the 14-party coalition on the Election Commission’s (EC) dialogue and the issues to be discussed there.

The party presidium, the highest policy-making body, at a meeting also endorsed different political parties’ calls for not allowing Jamaat-e-Islami to register with the EC and bringing them to book for the crimes they had committed during the Liberation War.

It also stressed the need for keeping intact the alliance unity. Chaired by acting AL president Zillur Rahman, the meeting authorised Tofail Ahmed to make contact with the alliance leaders to agree on a strategy for the talks on the electoral reforms proposed by the commission.

“We want to have an integrated approach,” Tofail told reporters after the meet held at Zillur’s Gulshan residence.

Ways to secure release of the detained party chief Sheikh Hasina came up for discussion at the meeting.

Besides, the presidium talked about a possible timetable for the next AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) meeting and the incident where four senior leaders including AL acting general secretary Mukul Bose were jostled and subjected to verbal abuse by a group of agitating activists before and after the ALCWC meet on September 12.

Referring to several names published in different newspapers, Zillur asked Mukul to explain the issue, said insiders.

Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, who heads the one-member body formed to probe the matter, told Mukul that he did not include names of the culprits in the statement he had submitted to her.

In response, Mukul said he never mentioned any names regarding who might have instigated the manhandling of the leaders. He said if necessary he would clarify his position again to the press.

At one point, Tofail said some quarters of the press sought to blow the incident out of proportion.

Later, talking to the reporters, Mukul said, “If I were given a chance to look at, I think I would be able to pick the culprits out of a line-up.”

The meeting decided that the ALCWC would meet once the party receives the invitation for the EC’s talks that began on September 12.

Earlier, Mukul and Motia Chowdhury had a difference of opinion on when should the ALCWC sit. Contrary to Motia’s view, the acting general secretary said they should not fix a date so early. He added that someone from the EC had told him that the party would be invited at least 15 days before the scheduled date for the dialogue.

ZILLUR’S BRIEFING
At a press briefing after the meet, Zillur said the ALCWC would decide whether to join the EC’s dialogue only after receipt of the invitation.

Who would represent the party in the event of joining the talks and what would be their strategy–all would be decided at the ALCWC meeting, he added.

About the 14-party coalition, he said the alliance could not meet due to the ban on indoor politics, but it still remains strong, observed Zillur adding that Tofail has been tasked with keeping in contact with the allies.

He said the party would mark the 61st birth anniversary of Hasina, also a former premier, on September 28.

“As our leader continues to languish in detention, we will not hold formal or elaborate programmes; instead we will organise a milad mahfil and offer special prayers at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum, seeking her release and wishing a long life,” said the veteran AL leader urging the rank and file across the country to observe the day in similar fashion.

Renewing his call for release of Hasina, he said, “All our leaders and workers are united in their demand for her release.”

Of the 12 presidium members, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Tofail Ahmed, Motia Chowdhury and Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser were present at the meeting while Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak and Suranjit Sengupta remain abroad. Syeda Johra Tajuddin could not attend due to illness.

Alongside the party chief and its General Secretary Abdul Jalil, three presidium members–Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Kazi Zafrullah–are behind bars.

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