Leadership crisis, internal feuds and mistrusts among the party leaders are the main reasons behind failures of BNP in forging a strong movement against the government, said political analysts.
In the latest development, BNP on Tuesday expelled one of its vice-chairmen due to mistrust and feud among the party leaders. He was expelled from the party for allegedly acting in breach of organisational discipline.
BNP expelled Shawkat Mahmud on Tuesday on the ground of having specific charges of breaking party rules.
However, is widely known that Shawkat Mahmud, also an advisor to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, has been removed for his alleged link with the ruling party leaders.
Sources also said that at least 11 more BNP leaders are on suspicion list due to their alleged links with the ruling party despite BNP’s efforts in toppling the government through movements.
Like Shawkat Mahmud, many other leaders of the BNP earlier either left the party on their own or have been expelled for the same reasons.
Leaving the BNP, some of the former BNP leaders have formed separate parties. As a result, the BNP lost many of its senior leaders and its capacity in the political field.
Of them, the name of former President of the country Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury could be mentioned first.
After being ousted from the BNP, Dr AQM Badruddoza, along with several other BNP leaders, formed a new political party named Bikalpa Dhara in 2004.
After two years, another senior leader of the BNP, Col (retd) Oli Ahmed was also ousted from the party due to intra-party feud and mistrust to each other and leadership crisis, left the party and in 2006, he formed another party named Liberal Democratic Party.
Another leader, Major General (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, also left the BNP due to the same reason and in 2007, he formed a separate political party named Bangladesh Kalyan Party.
Barrister Nazmul Huda, who died recently due to old aged complications, was also forced to leave the party and later he had formed a new political party named Treenamul BNP.
According to sources, apart from Shawkat Mahmud, AQM Badruddoza, Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, Major General (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim and Nazmul Huda, many other leaders of the BNP are about to leave the party due to intra-party feud, mistrust to each other and mainly leadership crisis in the party.
Sources said, the BNP has been facing leadership crisis severely due to the inactivity of its party chief Khaleda Zia and absence of the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
Khaled Zia remains inactive for years due to legal bars as she is a convict by the court and her old=aged complications. On the other hand, her elder so Tarique Rahman, who is now the acting chairman of the party, has been absconding for years.
Tarique Rahman has been staying in London and is not willing to return home to avert arrest as he is also a convict and accused in several criminal and corruption cases.
Although Tarique Rahman holds meetings with the party leaders online, but a large party like BNP cannot be run by a leader in his physical absence.
In his absence, some other leaders, including BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, are carrying the party activities.
But, due to inactivity of Khaleda Zia and in the absence of her son Tariqur Rahman, the senior leaders of the BNP have become divided into groups alongside mistrust to each other.