Saifur hosts BNP leaders’ unity talks

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In a sudden reversal of mood, leaders loyal to BNP Chief Khaleda Zia and expelled secretary general Mannan Bhuiyan last night met in former finance minister Saifur Rahman’s Gulshan residence in the capital, in an effort to reunite the entire party under a single central leadership following mounting pressure from different quarters.

Khaleda loyalists Dr RA Gani, and Khandaker Mahbubuddin Ahmed met Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, and Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, while pro-unity leaders M Shamsul Islam and Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui were also present along with Saifur Rahman. All present at the meeting, except Bhuiyan, are current members of the standing committee of the party, the highest decision making body.

According to a source privy to the details of the discussion, the meeting decided in principle to remove Khandaker Delwar Hossain from the post of the party secretary general soon, for the sake of greater unity of the party.

Delwar Hossain had also been invited to the meeting but he could not attend since he had been reportedly admitted to a hospital in the morning due to feeling sick, since when he has been out of public sight.

Three other standing committee members also did not attend the meeting, among whom Barrister Moudud Ahmed and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain are currently in jail, while the reason for Abdul Matin Chowdhury’s absence could not be determined immediately.

The meeting was still on at the time of filing this report at 11:00pm yesterday.

Khaleda loyalists attended the meeting with visceral unwillingness, and according to sources big changes are about to come to the party leadership before November 7 the date by which the Election Commission (EC) is supposed to send a letter of invitation to the recognised leadership of the party for an electoral reform dialogue between the two which is scheduled for November 22.

Some people on Sunday night reportedly met new BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain and put pressure on him to bring the expelled leaders back into the party and asking him to give up his new post as soon as possible.

Delwar however reportedly declined the request saying that he will accept only Khaleda Zia’s requests and decisions, who is the chairperson of the party and who appointed him as the new secretary general.

Before the meeting in Saifur Rahman’s house, pro-Bhuiyan leaders met in Bhuiyan’s Gulshan residence and discussed the latest situation of the party including the nascent unity process.

The meeting thought that the party’s national standing committee (NSC) has enough power vested on it by the party constitution to scrap the expulsion orders, and it may also select any leader as a new secretary general following Delwar’s resignation, according to a meeting source.

After the meeting Bhuiyan told reporters, “We have decided to stop the mud-slinging within the party in an effort to unite the entire organisation.”

Meanwhile, a reliable source told The Daily Star that a former minister who is also a retired army officer might take the charge of the secretary general of the party if Delwar resigns.

Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain meanwhile told journalists in his office yesterday, “According to the media news it seems that a consensus is emerging among the existing factions of BNP, so we hope that we will get an address for sending the letter of invitation before November 7.”

The EC has nothing to do with BNP’s inner conflicts, he said adding that whoever will hold the post of the secretary general will get the letter of invitation from the EC.

Delwar, who was appointed as the new secretary general on September 2 by Khaleda Zia herself just before her arrest, is also reportedly under pressure to persuade the detained chairperson for giving her consent to the unity initiative and to the idea of appointing yet another new secretary general, said a Khaleda loyalist.

But, Delwar is still intransigent to bow down to the pressure without clear direction from his detained party chief, according to the sources.

Delwar recently however told reporters that only the chairperson has the power to bring back the expelled leaders into the party, and he would suggest the chairperson favourably if she would seek his opinion on the matter.

Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah yesterday said he also heard that some leaders are looking for a new secretary general. “It would be better if we could know who are the people looking for a new secretary general, as the chairperson herself appointed Khandaker Delwar to the post where he is working very well.”

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