The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

In a dramatic development in national politics, the BNP National Standing Committee at a meeting on Tuesday night appointed party leaders M Saifur Rahman Acting Chairman and Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed as Secretary General.

The meeting withdrew the expulsion orders against former party Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Joint Secretary General Ashraf Hossain and Office Secretary Mofiqul Hasan Triptee. Mannan Bhuiyan was reinstated in Standing Committee and Ashraf and Triptee in their previous post. The meeting also removed Khandaker Delwar Hossain from the post of the party Secretary General.

Seven members of the BNP National Standing Committee attended the meeting with M Saifur Rahman, the senior-most leader of the party after its Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, in the chair at his Gulshan residence in the capital.

Those present at the meeting are Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui, M Shamsul Islam, RA Ghani and Advocate Mahbubuddin Ahmed. Standing Committee members Khandaker Delwar Hossain and Abdul Matin Chowdhury did not attend the meeting due to indisposition.

Three of the 12-member Standing Committee-Begum Khaleda Zia, Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Barrister Maudud Ahmed are in prison on corruption charges.

Earlier, at a meeting with Mannan Bhuiyan at his residence, BNP leaders arrived at an understanding that he would not be reappointed the party Secretary General.

Party sources said Khandaker Delwar Hossain immediately was hospitalised on Tuesday to avoid the Standing Committee meeting, as M Saifur Rahman invited him. He fled the BIRDEM hospital Tuesday night, when some of the Standing Committee members decided to visit him at the hospital to accompany him to the meeting.

It may be mentioned here that Begum Zia expelled Mannan Bhuiyan and Ashraf Hossain and appointed Khandaker Delwar Hossain Secretary General immediately before her arrest on September 3.

Khandaker Delwar expelled Mofiqul Hasan Triptee a few days later, as the latter sided with Mannan Bhuiyan, who is leading the reformist group of the party.

Disclosing the decisions after the meeting, M Saifur Rahman told journalists that the Standing Committee resolved to accept the action of Begum Zia on its judgment about the four party leaders-Mannan Bhuiyan, Khandaker Delwar, Ashraf Hossain and Mofiqul Hasan Triptee-when she comes out of the prison.

Disapproving Begum Zia's expulsion orders against Mannan Bhuiyan and Ashraf Hossain, the meeting resolved that the Chairperson took the wrong decision abruptly, as she misguided her prolonged isolation from the party ranks.

When asked, Khandaker Delwar yesterday denied accepting the Standing Committee decision, saying, "The meeting was illegal as its not called by the Chairperson as per the party constituion." He said he would not relinquish his office as the party Secretary General bowing to the Standing Committee decision.

Justifying the decision at a press conference, Acting BNP Chairman M Saifur Rahman yesterday dismissed the views expressed by Khandkar Delwar terming those as the latter's 'personal opinion.

"Everything cannot go by the (party) constitution. We cannot lag behind by sticking to the constitution in this age of globalisation," Saifur said when his attention was drawn to the remarks of Khandkar Delwar Hossain. The BNP constitution was made in 1978 and it needs to be updated now, he added.

"It is not a question of legal or illegal," Saifur said, adding, "Besides, no individual is greater than the party and the nation. We should not stick to any individual in view of the upcoming election."

He said, " We will look at the interest of the country and its development."

Pointing to BNP's political rival Saifur said Awami League was not suffering from any division and had advanced a lot keeping in view the upcoming election.

"We must unite the party. The nationalist force should remain united and work together to face up the situation," he added.

Saifur said, "We must not allow conflict and division in the party. The rank and file should advance with the political ideology of the founder of the party the late President Ziaur Rahman."

Newly appointed acting Secretary General Maj (rtd) Hafizuddin Ahmed said, "Those, who defy the decision of the party Standing Committee are nobody of BNP. Some are trying to muddle the situation by issuing conflicting statements."

He said the BNP Standing Committee has brought about certain changes in the party in accordance with the constitution. Saifur Rahman has taken the responsibility at the request of the Committee members despite his ill health.

"We shall start working from tomorrow. Our activities will prove as to whether the party is united or divided," Hafiz asserted.

He said they would not allow division in BNP. He warned that in case of division and conflict the political adversaries would take the advantage.

Senior BNP leaders Dr Osman Farooq, Prof Rezaul Karim, Mofazzal Karim, Z A Khan, S A Sultan, Nazir Hossain, Masud Arun, Dr Ziaul Haq Mollah and Ebadur Rahman were among those present at the residence of Saifur Rahman.

Later they went to the mazar of Ziaur Rahman and offered special prayer.