The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Acting chairperson of BNP (reformist) Saifur Rahman yesterday confessed that his leadership became infructuous after the party's standing-committee members who appointed him pulled out the rug from under his feet.

"I don't have authority as acting chairperson after the standing-committee members who appointed me withdrew support through affidavit… It becomes infructuous," he told reporters at his Gulshan house.

Saifur left for Singapore lastnight for medical treatment delegating none to head his faction of the immediate-past ruling party that fell in trouble following the detention of its chairperson and ex-PM Khaleda Zia.

He made the remarks when reporters wanted to know to whom he would give the charge of acting chairperson while going abroad.

A controversial meeting of the BNP standing committee appointed Saifur and Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed as acting chairperson and acting secretary general on October 29 last year.

Last month, four of the committee members-Dr RA Gani, Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui, M Shamsul Islam and Khandaker Mahbub Uddin-went to a court and renounced their decision by affidavit, saying that it was not a standing-committee meeting and that they attended a tea at the invitation of Saifur Rahman.

In reply to a question about the dialogue, Saifur said the government-political party dialogue might not be fruitful excluding Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina as well as the support of the vast majority of the people.