My proposal doesn’t exclude Khaleda

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Changing his earlier stance, expelled BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday said reforms and unity of the party are needed to win the next election, but everything will be done keeping Khaleda Zia in the process.

“In my reform proposal there is nothing about excluding the chiefs of two major political parties. I have only suggested a change in the system,” he said, adding that his proposal does not contain anything about excluding Khaleda Zia and he did not present the proposal to remove any individual.

“Khaleda Zia is still our chairperson and we will hold the party council jointly,” Bhuiyan said.

Bhuiyan held a meeting with about 20 former lawmakers at his Gulshan residence yesterday, a day after BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar held such a meeting with around 40 former lawmakers.

The expelled BNP leader said he is planning to hold a formal meeting in the first week of next month and expects that more than 100 former lawmakers will attend the meeting.

At a press briefing after the meeting with former lawmakers, Bhuiyan, who unveiled a 15-point proposal including the one aiming to dislodge Khaleda Zia from the post of chairperson on June 25, said Khaleda Zia is the party chairperson and they will hold council to bring reforms with her approval.

According to his proposal, the chairperson will be elected for three years instead of the existing two years. However, nothing has been mentioned about the tenure of the secretary general that he has been holding for over 10 years.

Referring to the meeting of former lawmakers with Khandaker Delwar, Bhuiyan said a few people went there to help keep the party united.

“Everyone who loves the party wants unity and reform and I hope those who are talking against unity will join the unity process,” Bhuiyan said. He urged the BNP leaders and workers not to be confused.

There is no alternative to reform to overcome the party’s crisis. I want both reform and unity,” he added.

Asked whether he will accept the appointment of Khandaker Delwar as secretary general of the party, Bhuiyan said he has been expelled in an undemocratic way, that is why he does not accept the expulsion decision.

When asked about his reform proposal, Bhuiyan said, “I have announced the proposal but it is not final. More proposals may come up and everything will be brought under consideration. A committee will be formed to finalise the proposals before the council meeting and the council will take the final decision.”

On a question on whether there is any possibility of unity with Khandaker Delwar, he said senior party leaders are discussing the matter.

Bhuiyan expects that they will get the Election Commission’s invitation and he once again claimed that most of the party leaders and former lawmakers are beside him.

Replying to a question about the party’s central office, he said, “Office will be opened if we go there unitedly. There may be a clash between the two groups if the party office is opened. So we do not want any division in the party over this issue.”

Bhuiyan urged the party leaders and workers to prepare for the coming municipal and upazila parishad elections.

BNP Vice-President Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, expelled joint secretary general Ashraf Hossain, former lawmakers Abdul Alim, Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam, Zahiruddin Swapan, Nasirul Haque Sabu, Ziaul Haque Mollah, Fazlul Azim, Mozammel Haque, Engineer Shahiduzzaman, Mainuddin Bhuiyan, Shahriar Akhter Bulu and Tasmeen Rana were, among others, present.

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