The New Nation - Internet Edition

Pankaj Karmakar

The policymakers of Awami League are currently engaged in strengthening their organisational base, as it had remained neglected after the BNP-led coalition government assumed office in 2001.

The party has started vigorous activities to strengthen the organisational base of the party aiming to be prepared for both conducting street agitation to push for the release of the detained party chief Sheikh Hasina and participating in the upcoming parliamentary election.

A central leader of the party confessed that the party has not enough organisational strength to wage street movement to release Sheikh Hasina under the state of emergency.

Talking to The New Nation he said, "The main reasons for the weakening of the organisational base were the repression let loose by the BNP-led coalition government on AL leaders and activists, nomination to wealthy people keeping aside the dedicated leaders, who had joined every movement of the party, and contradictory stands of the central leaders after January 11, 2007 which misled mid-ranking leaders."

As part of the strengthening activities of the organisational base the central leaders have planned to visit all the districts and Thana level extended meetings after the second week of June.

Earlier the central committee asked the district and thana committees to submit reports on the party's current position after the promulgation of the State of Emergency, the number of cases filed against district leaders and workers and the number of partymen who went into hiding.

In this regard the district and thana committees submitted report in the party's extended meeting on May 26.

Source said, after reviewing these reports the central leaders will instruct the grassroots leaders to find out the ways of resolving the crises prevailing in their respective areas. The party's countrywide organisational tour will be held in the second half of June to resolve disputes among district leaders.

In the party's extended meeting the central leaders asked the grassroots leaders to complete the council and to form full committee of all the districts and thana units.

Beside this, the Dhaka City Awami League is also active to underpin its organisational structure aiming to form a human chain around the makeshift jail where Sheikh Hasina is detained, which may be held in June.

Dhaka City Awami league will hold meeting with all the thana and ward committees under the Dhaka City Corporation from next week to reactivate the leaders and activists.

Keeping the weakening condition of the party's organisational base in mind, the central leadership showed reluctance to announce any street agitation programme.

A central leader of Awami League said, "The party will not take up any street agitation now and will rather go for a systematic movement, which would not violate the state of emergency. The central leadership wants to reactivate the party grassroots and fronts in such systematic movement."

The sources said the party would think about action programmes after mid-August, capitalizing people's sentiment about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's killing and completing the organisational strengthening drive across the country.

AL Presidium Member Suranjit Sen Gupta said, " We have decided to visit district to district to warm up the local leaders and activists. If the central leaders visit any area the local leaders will become more dynamic."

"We will take decision about the issue of launching tough action programme after this tour", he added.

AL Presidium Member Matia Chowdhury told The New Nation, " We have launched the tour to remove the rust that had covered the district and thana unit committees during the last 17 months. We have to be stronger to launch street agitation."