The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The central leaders of Awami League (AL) have chalked out plans to hold organisational district councils immediately for resolving disputes over leadership in the units, aiming to gear up the party's activities at the grassroots level.

In this connection a meeting of party Presidium Member, Joint Secretaries and Organising Secretaries was held at the party's Dhanmondi Office yesterday.

The central leaders decided to move post-haste to form organisational committees in these districts after August 15, in view of the upcoming national and upazila elections.

After the overwhelming victory of AL in the city and pourashava polls the party is euphoric and getting ready to repeat the result in the parliamentary and upazila polls. "That is why the party central leaders are too much concerned to reactivate the grassroots level leaders and activists, who will be the mainstay of the party in these two vital elections," said a central leader.

Source said, of the 74 organisational districts there was no committees in 11 districts, in 10 districts the committees were formed 10 to 11 years ago and another 10 to 12 districts were without effective leadership.

Most of the presidents and general secretaries of many districts have died, some went underground soon after the anti-corruption drive began and some others serving imprisonment in connection with different graft cases. In this situation the activists of these districts became leaderless. In the absence of skilled leadership the activists were divided into different splinter groups, which intensified the crisis.

"If these disputes over district leadership cannot be resolved immediately, it will act as a major barrier to achieving the same success in both the national and upazila elections", said a central leader.

AL acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said, "It requires at least 1,000 leaders and activists to hold a district council. But the caretaker government did not allow us to do so, as they allow the political parties to run indoor politics on the excuse of emergency rule. But it is impossible to hold district councils inside a room. We are therefore repeatedly demanding for the withdrawal of emergency."

"Aiming at the parliamentary election scheduled for December 2008, we have initiated measure to strengthen patry's organisational base at the grassroots level. As part of this imitative, we have to hold district councils first", he further said.

Late Mohammad Hanif and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya were nominated President and General Secretary of Dhaka City Awami League. Hanif died few years ago and Maya is on the run since the anti corruption drive started. But no new committee has been formed yet.

In 1997 prof Nazma Rahman and Shamim Osman were President and General Secretary of Narayanganj District Awami League. Shamim fled to India and Nazma was made Relief and Social Welfare Secretary of the central committee. That is why a convening committee was formed in the district. After that the committee could not be renewed for strong opposition from Shamim, as he is maintaining a hot link with some central leaders from his hiding place, source said.

In the same year the committee of Kishoreganj district was formed, which had expired 8 years ago. General Secretary of that committee died in 1999. Then Shabuddin was selected acting General Secretary who also died one and half years ago, but the committee was yet to be reorganized.

Similarly, the organisational council of Madaripur district could not be held due to rivalry between former MP Shajahan Khan and Secchasebok League president AFM Bahuddin Nasim.

Engr Mosharaf Hossain, President of Chittagong Metropolitan (North) AL, is imprisoned in a graft case, while Aktaruzzaman, president of Chittagong metropolitan (South) AL, is absconding.

Adv Abul Kashem and Joinal Hazari were selected President and General Secretary of Feni district Awami League through a council in 1997, but Kashem died and Hazari fled the country.

Cox's Bazar District President Mozzamel Haque and Rangamati district General Secretary Selim died few years ago but the committees were yet to be renewed.

Council in Sunamganj district had not been held for the last 10 years due to the rivalry between AL presidium member Suranjit Sen Gupta and late Abdus Samad Azad.

Mahiuddin Ahmed, president of Barisal district AL died few years ago, while General Secretary Abul Hasnat Abdullah was in hiding. In absence of Organisational committee, a convening committee was running the party's activities in Barisal City. But the convener of the committee Shawkat Hossain Hiron has recently been elected city mayor.

In Pirojpur a convening committee was supervising party's activities, while council of Patuakhali district was held 12 years ago and it is 10 years that the committee of Rangpur organisational district was held.