Party sources say, the seventh national council of BNP will be held maintaining the continuity of leadership change and redistribution of responsibilities. At the same time, initiatives are being taken to review applications of those expelled at various times and bring back the deserving ones into the party.
BNP has a plan to hold the seventh national council in February or March next year. Keeping that goal in mind, organizational restructuring has begun in various districts, upazilas and metropolitan areas across the country over the last two months. Decisions have been made to form convening committees somewhere, full committees somewhere, and reshuffle responsibilities elsewhere.
According to leaders of the party's policy-making level, this restructuring process may continue for the next four to five months. In selecting new leadership, priority is being given to young, talented and clean-image leaders, along with emphasis on decentralization of organizational leadership.
As part of this, considering not keeping ministers and MPs in important organizational posts at district, metropolitan or upazila levels. In line with the principle of keeping party and government responsibilities separate, discussions are underway to implement the 'one leader, one post' system. BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman supports this initiative, according to party sources.
In addition, the role of leaders in past anti-fascist movements, organizational skills and political acceptability are also being given importance in selecting new leadership.
Several new members have already been added to the party's highest policy-making forum, the National Standing Committee. Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Aman Ullah Aman, Professor Dr. Farhad Halim Donar and Md. Ismail Jabiullah have been included in the standing committee. There are currently three vacant posts in this 19-member committee. Besides, 12 posts of BNP vice-chairman are also vacant due to death, resignation and expulsion. The process of bringing new faces to these posts is underway.
There is also possibility of change in central office responsibility. According to sources, one of Joint General Secretaries Khairul Kabir Khokon, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Syed Emran Saleh Prince may be given this responsibility.
At the same time, preparations have begun to restructure the leadership of BNP's associate and affiliated organizations including Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, Krishak Dal and Shramik Dal. It is known that new leadership may come in Chhatra Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal in late August or early September.
BNP Vice-Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu said the party's reorganization work is currently ongoing and its final phase will be completed through the national council. The committees at district, upazila and thana levels which are in urgent need are being restructured. However, no final decision has been made yet about what kind of changes in leadership will come across the country centering the national council.
Standing committee member Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain also said organizational restructuring is ongoing ahead of the national council. New committees are being given to various units, and the restructuring of the remaining units will be completed gradually. The national council will be held after restructuring unit committees across the country.
