Bangladesh News

The pro-Saifur faction of Sylhet unit BNP yesterday declared the party’s new district convener M Ilyas Ali persona non grata (unwanted), inviting sharp retorts from the other group.

Rejecting the Ilyas-led convening committee, they said the move is an attempt to destroy the party.

Pro-Ilyas faction, meantime, said the role of the other group led to the damage to the party after 1/11.

The two factions trotted out the denunciations of each other in separate meetings held to commemorate the 27th death anniversary of late president Ziaur Rahman, the party’s founder.

BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain Thursday reconstituted the Sylhet unit BNP with Ilyas Ali, a corruption suspect on Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) list, as its convener.

Ilyas, a former lawmaker who is charged with corruption and criminal offences, has been on the run since the imposition of the state of emergency on January 11 last year.

The BNP’s central command suspended the activities of Sylhet BNP on July 27 in 2005 following bitter rivalry between former finance minister Saifur Rahman and Ilyas Ali.

Pro-Saifur leaders said they would announce fresh programmes if the central committee did not mothball the new committee anytime soon.

Ilyas followers in their meeting alleged that the other faction did many things against party interests since the president declared the state of emergency early last year.