The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Expelled BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday dropped a broad hint about a rapprochement between the two factions of the BNP, making a call for unification of the party.

“We don’t want any division in the party centring our reform proposals,” he told a press briefing at his Gulshan residence.

He urged all leaders and workers of the party to refrain from any activity that can affect unity of the BNP. He said all party activists and leaders would have to work unitedly to win the next general election.

In a related development, Mannan Bhuiyan’s close aids Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed and Dr Osman Farruk yesterday took seat along with BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain at an iftar party hosted by President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed at the Bangabhaban.

Earlier, on Monday, Major Hafiz disclosed that they were having backstage parleys with Khandaker Delwar and Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah to reunify the party.

When contacted yesterday, Khandaker Delwar did not comment on it He said there is no division in the BNP.

But sources close to the BNP Secretary General confirmed about the move.

The BNP became virtually divided into two factions following the announcement of proposals to reform the party by Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and its opposition by party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in late June.

Meanwhile, both Khandaker Delwar and Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday demanded withdrawal of the state of emergency while talking to journalists separately.

Khandaker Delwar also questioned the Election Commission’s move to hold elections to the local government institutions before the general election, saying, “Constitutionally Caretaker Government is mandated only to hold parliamentary elections, not the local government institutions.”

Mannan Bhuiyan, however, stressed the need to create an atmosphere to ensure so that there is no recurrence of the anarchic situation leading to the January 11 changeover after the withdrawal of the state of emergency.

He said the changeover of January 11 had become inevitable because of anarchic activities resorted by the political parties.

Replying to a question, Mannan Bhuiyan said the January 11 changeover reflects the pledge to introduce a healthy political trend ending terrorism, corruption and individual-centered politics.

This healthy trend can be introduced only through rectification and reforms in the party and the leadership, he said.

The BNP leader said, they are not thinking about movement along with the 14-party alliance or any other political parties. Now the objective of all should be to take the politics forward in a positive mode, he added.

About the demand to the Election Commission (EC) for banning religion-based political parties, Mannan Bhuiyan said, “This does not fall under the jurisdiction of the EC. Everybody other than religious militants has the right to do politics in the country.”

When asked, Khandaker Delwar also expressed similar view saying, “There is no fundamentalism and religious fanaticism in the country, so such demand is not justified.”

On his expulsion order, Mannan Bhuiyan said any forum of the party did not approve his expulsion order by Chairperson Begum Zia. “Moreover, most of the central commitee leaders and former MPs have rejected that order,” he added.