Photo : Messenger
As the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) attempts to halt the upcoming January 7 elections through successive movements, the party finds itself grappling with a leadership vacuum, leaving its leaders and workers disoriented, according to analysts.
The current leadership crisis within the BNP is attributed to the incarceration of most of its top leaders in various legal cases. Additionally, some leaders are residing outside the country, while those out of prison are predominantly in hiding. Despite the party's announcements of agitations and protests, it is struggling to rally and empower its activists.
The BNP's highest policy-making standing committee comprises 19 members, but only 17 names were disclosed during the Sixth National Council in March 2016. The party's chairperson, Begum Khaleda Zia, is currently hospitalised, acting chairman Tarique Rahman and key figures Salah Uddin Ahmed and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku are abroad.
In the absence of the chairperson and acting chairman, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir took charge. He attempted to revitalise the party by organising mass meetings in various divisional cities for several months before his arrest, successfully strengthening the party's morale. However, following his detention, the BNP has found itself essentially leaderless.
Several standing committee members, including Mirza Abbas, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Vice Chairman Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Joint Secretary General Moazzem Hossain Alal, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Mojibur Rahman Sarwar, Organizing Secretary Emran Saleh Prince, BNP Media Cell Convener Zahir Uddin Swapan, and Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP Member Secretary Aminul Haque, are currently detained.
Leaders such as Dhaka Metropolitan North Convener Aman Ullah Aman and Publicity Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury are also behind bars. Additionally, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Mahbubur Rahman resigned, Dr. Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain is recovering from brain surgery, and Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia is inactive due to illness. Among the remaining leaders, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy is in hiding, while Dr. Abdul Moin Khan, Begum Selima Rahman, and Nazrul Islam Khan are on alert despite being outside the country.
In the current scenario, Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman, is reportedly coordinating party movements and communicating with district-level leaders. Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed is announcing various movements, including blockades, hartals, and non-cooperation, based on Rahman's instructions and advice from his undisclosed location, highlighting the challenge the party faces due to its leadership vacuum. As the election approaches, the BNP struggles to overcome these hurdles and assert its presence in the political landscape.
Talking to several leaders of the party, it is known that, in the current situation, Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the party, is regularly coordinating the movement in addition to talking to the district level leaders. On his instructions and advice, Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi is announcing virtually all movements including blockade, hartal, non-cooperation on behalf of the party from hiding.
In response to inquiries about the party's leadership crisis, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, speaking to The Daily Messenger, emphatically stated, "There is no question of a leadership crisis. As the election approaches, our party's diverse programs are progressing as planned. While it is true that several of our central leaders are currently in jail, it is equally true that the BNP's momentum remains unaffected by these legal challenges, attacks, and arrests.”
Dr. Abdul Moin Khan, a standing committee member of the BNP, conveyed to The Daily Messenger, "Despite the fact that numerous party leaders are currently incarcerated, our anti-government initiatives persist. We find ourselves compelled to sustain our movement to safeguard the voting rights of the people, advocate for the release of countless leaders and activists, and call for the resignation of the government."
Nazrul Islam Khan, another standing committee member of the BNP, stated, "Those philanthropists who are currently outside are coordinating and setting the pace of our movement. They announce the party's political programs based on the guidance and advice of the Acting Chairman."
However, political analysts are skeptical about the assertions made by BNP leaders. They argue that the government has dealt a significant blow to the opposition party's momentum by incarcerating leaders at various levels. Seizing the opportune moment when the movement was reaching its peak, the government strategically employed legal measures to curtail the opposition's activities.
A professor from the Department of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University, preferring to remain anonymous, shared insights with The Daily Messenger, stating, "Up until October 28, BNP's single-phase non-violent movement against the government was gaining substantial traction. Leaders and activists from across the country actively participated in street demonstrations. However, the dynamics of the entire movement shifted during the grand rally when a three-way clash unfolded between BNP, the police, and Awami League."
The BNP is grappling to sustain its movement, primarily due to the incarceration of central leaders, including the BNP Secretary General. The decline in momentum is attributed to valid reasons. This political expert asserts that one significant factor contributing to the faltering movement is the evident lack of leadership within the party.
BNP started a movement with various parties and alliances simultaneously demanding the resignation of the government, farcical elections, restoration of people's voting rights and democracy, release of all leaders and activists including Begum Khaleda Zia from last 12th July. As part of the ongoing movement, BNP held a grand rally in the capital on October 28.
Police, BNP and Awami League leaders and activists clashed in Kakrail during 28 rally. At that time, many allegations were made against BNP leaders and activists including attack on the residence of the Chief Justice, murder of police constable, robbery of pistol, obstruction of police work, cocktail explosion, sabotage, vandalism, creating panic in the public mind, burning cars, throwing bricks and stones, and attempted murder.
Meanwhile, many leaders of the party are currently in hiding to avoid arrest. However, there is a party decision that if the top leaders of the party are in jail, then the second-line leaders will lead the overall activities of the party, but there is an extreme leadership crisis in BNP.
Messenger/Disha
