Group Theater Federation: Pro-Lucky faction push for conference, opposition calls for reform

The Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation (BGTF) is currently embroiled in internal discord, as long-standing president Liaquat Ali Lucky continues to hold his position well beyond his elected term. Elected for a three-year tenure in 2018, Lucky has remained at the helm for six and a half years without holding new elections, sparking division within the federation.

A faction led by senior praesidium member Lucky Enam is now preparing for an urgent meeting to discuss reforms and restructuring within the federation. Meanwhile, a rival group, aligned with Liaquat Ali Lucky, is pushing for a conference, further fueling tensions in the executive committee.

Chandan Reza, BGTF's acting general secretary and a known supporter of Lucky, has confirmed that the letter at the heart of the controversy—an internal document regarding the conference—was only a draft. Reza expressed surprise over how it was leaked to the public.

Liaquat Ali Lucky, also the chief of Loko Natyadal (Siddheshwari), was elected as president of the BGTF during the federation's 23rd triennial national conference in 2018, with Kamal Bayezid of Dhaka Theatre serving as general secretary. However, despite the expiration of his term, Lucky extended his leadership, delaying elections and also serving as director-general of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy during this period.

His prolonged tenure led to protests in 2022 from a group called General Theatre Workers, who demanded his resignation, accusing him of autocratic control. Prominent theatre figures including Mamunur Rashid, Ramendu Majumdar, Nasir Uddin Yousuff, Ahmed Iqbal Haider, and Malay Bhowmick joined the outcry, calling for immediate elections to restore democracy within the federation.

Despite these demands, Lucky dismissed the concerns of senior figures, often making negative remarks about them. Although he resigned as director-general of Shilpakala Academy on August 12, 2024, following the fall of the Awami League-led government, he has held on to his presidency at the BGTF.

In response to the growing unrest, Lucky Enam, senior praesidium member of the federation, has called for an emergency meeting on October 25 at the Shilpakala Academy's Chitrashala Auditorium. The meeting aims to discuss necessary reforms and restructuring within the federation to address the crisis.

Simultaneously, a letter signed by Chandan Reza suggests preparations for a conference in March 2025, with a committee led by convenor Jhuna Chowdhury and supported by joint convenors including Lucky Enam, Shahadat Hossain Khan, and others. However, several of the named members, including Chowdhury, have publicly distanced themselves from the committee, claiming their names were added without consent.

"We were working towards unity within the federation, but I have no interest in being part of this committee," said Chowdhury, while Akhtaruzzaman, a former general secretary of the federation, remarked, "Announcing a conference requires proper meetings and decisions, none of which were held." Both Akhtaruzzaman and Ananta Hira have requested their names be removed from the list of committee members.

Hira further added, "Liaquat Ali Lucky has long been running the federation in an autocratic manner with his loyalists. I am not part of this committee and will attend Lucky Enam's meeting on October 25, where we hope to make decisions for the betterment of the federation."

Despite the growing dissatisfaction, Reza defended the move, stating that the draft committee was formed to plan the upcoming conference. "The letter was only shown to executive members, so it's surprising how it was leaked to outsiders. We will finalise it and notify everyone officially," he told bdnews24.com.

The federation's internal conflicts became public in early 2022, when General Secretary Kamal Bayezid and Finance Secretary Rafiqullah Selim were dismissed on charges of "financial irregularities, corruption, and organisational autocracy." Bayezid denied the allegations, calling the dismissal undemocratic.

In the aftermath, theatre veteran Ramendu Majumdar issued an open letter expressing concern over the public dispute, urging the suspension of the federation's activities to protect the reputation of theatre workers. His suggestions were ignored by Lucky's loyalists, who continued to defend the leadership.

The discontent culminated in 2023, when Dhaka Theatre, led by Nasir Uddin Yousuff, withdrew its membership from the federation in protest against the dismissal of Bayezid. On April 13, 2023, four major theatre organisations expressed their "concern" over Dhaka Theatre's departure in a letter to Liaquat Ali Lucky. The letter was signed by the heads of the country's top theatre groups, including Natyachakra's M Hamid, Aranyak's Mamunur Rashid, and Nagarik Natyasampradaya's Sara Zaker. Ramendu Majumdar, the founding president of the federation, also signed the letter.

In a separate statement, 67 playwrights, directors, and organisers expressed "no confidence" in the federation's current leadership and voiced concern over its inability to function, calling for an end to the crisis.

Despite numerous protests and calls for his resignation, Liaquat Ali Lucky remains in his position as president of the BGTF, with no immediate signs of stepping down.

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