Just before the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election, the joining of several ‘heavyweight’ leaders was a big surprise on the political scene. Some had been chiefs of their own parties, some second-ranking leaders, others veteran figures with long political experience. Active on the streets in the anti-fascist movement, these leaders dissolved their own parties or resigned to contest on the “sheaf of paddy” symbol and signed up with the BNP. The aim was to cross the electoral hurdle ‘easily’ and to be rewarded for their sacrifice on the streets. But after the election many of them are now suffering a kind of ‘identity crisis.’ Some were elected members of parliament but got no place in the cabinet; some became state ministers but got no party post. Those who lost the election, meanwhile, are now looking to BNP chairman Tarique Rahman. Leaders are also speaking to the party’s policymakers to clarify their positions. Some complain that they have been in the BNP for more than five months but, as ordinary members, are not getting importance in their areas, and that a kind of friction has even developed with the local BNP. In this situation they want big party posts as well as importance at various levels of government, while one or two expect the BNP high command and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to recognize them at a convenient time.
Two members of the BNP standing committee who are in the government cabinet told Jugantor that the party chairman and prime minister, Tarique Rahman, was attentive to the new joiners, that everyone would be valued in time, and that these leaders’ permanent posts and political status would be decided through the party council.
The 13th Jatiya Sangsad election was held on February 12 this year. The BNP won two-thirds of the seats and formed the government. Before that, in January this year, eight leaders joined the BNP by filling in primary membership forms. Seven of them contested the election on the sheaf of paddy symbol: the former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Dr. Redwan Ahmad; the former general secretary of Gonoforum, Dr. Reza Kibria; the former chairman of Bangladesh LDP, Shahadat Hossain Selim; the former chairman of Bangladesh Jatiya Dal, Syed Ehsanul Huda; the former chairman of the NDM, Bobby Hajjaj; the chairman of the NPP, Fariduzzaman Farhad; and the former general secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad, Rashed Khan. In addition, former state minister for information and former Awami League joint secretary Professor Abu Sayeed joined the BNP before the election but did not contest.
Of the seven who joined the BNP and contested on the sheaf of paddy, three were elected members of parliament. Dr. Reza Kibria, son of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria, joined the BNP after passing through various parties and was elected from Habiganj-1. Bobby Hajjaj was elected from the Dhaka-13 seat and Shahadat Hossain Selim from Lakshmipur-1. Of these, Bobby Hajjaj is serving as state minister of the education ministry. Dr. Redwan Ahmad, Syed Ehsanul Huda, Fariduzzaman Farhad and Rashed Khan contested on the symbol but did not win.
There is talk in political circles that many of the joining leaders have merged their own parties’ politics into the BNP, since their current identity is that of an ordinary BNP member. This has created resentment among their followers. Many have said that if a leader dissolved a party to join the BNP, it must be assumed that its leaders and workers joined the BNP too, but over the past few months those leaders and workers have not received much importance in the BNP or the government.
A joining member of parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that although three won on the sheaf of paddy, only one had become a state minister, and the other two also expected a place in the cabinet. In his view, holding a party post alongside being an MP would speed up development work in the area. Expressing an interest in staying with the BNP in the end, he said a political identity was necessary in order to do politics.
Asked about this, Syed Ehsanul Huda said: “Those of us who were in the joint movement later had to dissolve our parties, mainly for some strategic reasons, particularly because changes to various clauses of the RPO meant we had to dissolve our parties to contest the election. But the BNP valued us to the highest degree there. I am in the BNP and will stay till the last day. I hope the party will give us a political identity very soon.”
Rashed Khan said: “From 2022, when the joint movement with the BNP began, a good relationship developed with the current prime minister, Tarique Rahman. Thanks to that good relationship we did a lot of work together, particularly getting the chance to work together under BNP leadership during the mass uprising. Since we have come through the movement and struggle and played an important role in the mass uprising, I am hopeful that the BNP will certainly value those of us who are here.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report