BNP national council likely in March

After over six years, the BNP may hold its triennial national council in March.

Insiders say a BNP standing committee meeting at the chairperson's Gulshan office tonight is likely to finalise the date of the sixth council.   

The meeting, with Khaleda Zia in the chair, is scheduled to begin at 8:30pm.   

Asked about a tentative date, a BNP standing committee member, wishing not to be named, yesterday told The Daily Star, “In consultation with party's senior leaders, Khaleda Zia may choose the last week of March for the programme.”

He said the BNP chief was eager for the council as the previous one was held over six years ago, and the move would reorganise and strengthen the party as well as rejuvenating its central and grassroots units.

He, however, said the date could be changed later, if required.

Another senior BNP leader told this correspondent that the council would be deferred if the first phase of union parishad polls took place at the end of March.

Contacted, BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said there was possibility that tonight's meeting would discuss party reforms as well as the council.

He, however, did not elaborate on the matter.  

The ruling Awami League has announced that its 20th triennial council would be held on March 28.

The BNP's charter says the party will have to hold its national council in every three years. But the previous one took place on December 8 in 2009.

According to several party leaders, the BNP was about to hold the sixth council in 2013 but had to change the plan at the last moment after the government started arresting its senior leaders, and raided their central office at Naya Paltan.

They fear similar “government oppression” this time as well.

After the crushing defeat in the 2008 general elections, the BNP had reorganised all its units across the country. It went for the fifth council afterwards.

The council re-elected Khaleda as the party chairperson and created a new post of senior vice-chairman. Khaleda's son Tarique Rahman was elected to the post. Khandaker Delwar Hossain was elected as the secretary general.

After the death of Delwar in 2011, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir became the acting secretary general.

According to BNP insiders, the sixth council would bring no change in the top leadership of the party. Also, Fakhrul is likely to become the secretary general, even though a portion of the party is against the move.

A senior BNP leader said tonight's meeting at Khaleda's Gulshan office would also discuss the upcoming UP polls as well as the party's organisational activities ahead of the elections.

The meeting may discuss the recent comment of Chief Justice SK Sinha that a judge's act of writing a judgment after his retirement goes against the law and the constitution, said party sources.

Recently, the Supreme Court Bar Association has demanded restoration of the caretaker government system, claiming the verdict against it was illegal as it was signed by a judge after his retirement.

The BNP has been demanding restoration of the caretaker government for long.