Dissatisfaction has arisen in the party with the 42-member full convening committee announced by Barisal Mahanagar BNP. The party's chairperson Mujibur Rahman Sarwar's followers were not included in this committee. Those who took a stand against Sarwar were also deprived. Most of the senior leaders in particular have dropped out of the city committee. Those who were deposed complained that the committee includes accused persons in murder cases and convicted persons in drug cases, as well as vagrants and beneficiaries of Awami League.
In this regard, the joint convener of the new committee, district PP Abul Kalam Azad told Ajker newspaper that it is a pocket committee. Personal preferences, extortionists, usurpers and terrorists are employed.
Party sources said that after 2001, almost all the familiar faces and leadership of the BNP and the organization in Barisal Nagar have been deprived of the new committee. On the evening of March 23, 2012, Rafsan Ahmed Jitu, convener of a section of the college branch Chhatra Dal, was hacked to death in front of Government Barisal College. Mahfuzur Rahman, one of the accused in this pending murder case, has become the joint convener of the new committee. Another joint convener, Sajjad Hossain, is serving a life sentence in a drug case.
Sources also said that the police took money from many BNP leaders and activists arrested in the raid after October 28 last year and sent them to the court under section 81 (vagrancy). They were immediately released on bond. Abu Musa Kajal was in that vagabond group in Barisal city. He also got the post of joint convener this time. There are allegations of gambling and drug dealing against Jagarani Club in Nazir Pool in the city. Zahirul Islam Litu, a resident of the area, took control of the club after the reshuffle on August 5. After a fight over drug dealing, the club was vandalized and he was barricaded. That Litoo has become the joint convenor of BNP in the city.
It is known that Sohel Sikdar, a member of the full convening committee, is the member secretary of Neymati Union BNP of Bakerganj, a joint convener of the upazila committee and also a member of the district BNP. He has become a member of the Metropolitan Committee along with the previous 3 posts.
According to party sources, the policy of 'one leader, one post' was adopted in BNP a few years ago. However, in the newly announced metropolitan committee, 13 people are also holding the post of convenors of various ward committees of the city. A member named Masud Howladar has joined the new committee even though he stays in the US most of the time.
Meanwhile, a photo of Badruzzaman Tolan, who got membership after the announcement of the committee, has spread on social media. It has been seen that he is coming out of the election office of Nauka Marka. The angry leaders and activists alleged that Tolon, a resident of Battala area, worked for the boat in Barisal city elections in 2018.
Former committee member Zahidur Rahman Ripon, who was deposed, said that the organizational rules were not followed in the formation of the full-fledged convening committee. Arifur Rahman Babu, another member of the previous committee, said, 'Those who were not part of the movement have got positions in the committee. I have never seen such a low quality committee in Barisal.'
At the same time, 13 out of 42 members of the committee were absent in an introductory meeting at the party office yesterday after the announcement of the committee. Nagar BNP joint convener Afroza Khanam Nasreen said of course, the committee has done very well and deserving people have got posts.
In this matter, Metropolitan BNP convener Moniruzzaman Farooq told reporters, 'Many seniors did not keep in touch, many did not agree to be under the junior senior joint convener Afroza Khanam Nasreen. However, the workers who left the field got the post. Apart from that, the matter of forming the committee is entirely the jurisdiction of the acting chairman of the party.
