Ruling Awami League on Saturday directed the grassroots leaders of Rangpur Division to end immediately the internal feud developed during the last general elections, bickering over leadership and other conflicts over the formation of committees.
It also asked the grassroots to refrain from dissolving committees and axing each other from the party over the internal feud and asked the MPs, ministers and influential leaders not to meddle in the upcoming upazila parishad polls.
The directives were given during a views exchange meeting between the central leaders and Rangpur Division leaders at AL central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.
Organizing Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, who is in charge of Rangpur division, said that some organisational problems were resolved immediately while some central and grassroots leaders have been given the responsibility to address the rest of the problems.
Sources said the internal feuds in Rangpur division were discussed in the meeting. The leaders blamed each other for such cracks.
The grassroots leaders raised allegations against the committees of Rangpur district unit and Rangpur city unit Awami League.
AL presidium member Shajahan Khan, joint general secretary Hasan Mahmud and central leader Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia have been given the responsibility to resolve the problems.
Nilphamari-2 constituency MP Asaduzzaman Noor and district AL general secretary have been given the charge to solve the problems of the committees of Joldhaka and Syedpur.
AL advisory council member Ramesh Chandra Sen and Thakurgaon district general secretary have been given the responsibility to address the problems of Haripur and Baliadanga committees.
The meeting also scrapped the expulsion of Panchagarh district general secretary Anwar Sadat.
Sources in the party said the relation between AL Panchagarh district unit president Nurul Islam Sujon and general secretary Anwar Sadat Samrat is not healthy. The distance between the two leaders widened as Samrat contested the 12th parliamentary polls from Panchagarh-1 constituency as an independent candidate.
MD Zakaria won the Dinajpur-1 constituency polls as an independent one. Since his election, a distance has been created with former MP Monoranjan Shil Gopal.
The same situation is prevailing in Mithapukur of Rangpur. Upazila unit joint general secretary Rashek Rahman has a bitter relations with Incumbent independent MP Zakir Hossain Sarker. Rashek faced a defeat in the 12th parliamentary polls.
The organisational strength in Gobindaganj in Gaibandha is miserable as incumbent MP Abul Kalam Azad and former MP Monwar Hossain Chowdhury maintain two separate groups.
The same situation prevails on Fulchari and Saghata upazilas. The distance between BCL former president and incumbent lawmaker Mahmud Hasan Ripon and Fulchhari unit general secretary Farzana Rabbi Bubli, daughter of late deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah, continued to be widened. Bubli contested the last parliamentary polls as an independent candidate but suffered a defeat with Ripon.
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader urged the Members of Parliament not to poke their nose in upcoming Upazila Parishad polls for the sake of credible and competitive polls.
“It is not done that MPs will exert influence to ensure victory of any aspirant. It will in no way be accepted that anyone will make interference in the polls,” he said.
The AL spokesperson said that party president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paved ways to contest the Upazila Parishad polls by deciding not to field any candidate with Boat symbol.
Earlier, the Boat symbol was given for the polls in union level. Now making the field open, we want to see how much completion takes place, he said.
“We want a free and fair election without any influence from anyone. Organisational action will be taken if anyone breaches party discipline,” he said.
The AL is exchanging views with the grassroots leaders to tame the internal feud ahead of the upazila parishad polls.
Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, was critical on the remarks of some leaders.
Hinting at the party leaders, he said, “The party will not take the responsibility of irresponsible comments of the leaders. The individual has to bear the responsibility for making any harsh comment as such comments put impacts on the party discipline,” he said.
The AL spokesperson urged leaders and activists to create a bridge with the common people and make organisational bridge between districts and upazilas, and upazilas and unions.
A bridge between the leaders of the grassroots has to be created by forgetting internal feud, he said.
AL joint general secretary and foreign minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, finance minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and Asaduzzaman Noor, MP, were also present with AL presidium member Shajahan Khan in the chair.
AL Organizing Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, who is in charge of Rangpur division, moderated the meeting.
