Intra-party feud deepens in Satkhira BNP

Frustration has gripped dedicated leaders and activists as the district BNP leaders failed to form a full fledged committee due to their internal feud, party insiders said.

On the other hand, allegations of extortion, land grabbing and other illegal activities by many of the mid-level leaders are tarnishing the image of the party, he said.

The BNP high command on June 8, 2004 dissolved the district committee headed by MA Jalil and Syed Iftekhar Ali and formed a convening committee with Habibul Islam Habib MP, MA Jalil and Rahmatullah Palash as president, senior vice-president and general secretary respectively and asked them to form a full fledged committee within three months.

Despite repeated instruction by the party high command, a full fledged district committee could not be formed due to rift among front-ranking leaders.

A senior leader seeking anonymity said, rival leaders and activists at different tiers are divided into two groups, one backed by the district BNP president Habibul Islam Habib MP and the other by general secretary Rahmatullah Palash.

The rivals are accusing each other for alleged involvement in toll collection, land grabbing, tender manipulation, illegal occupation of shrimp enclosures and drug trafficking.

The internal feud first surfaced on April 23 last year when Samsuzzoha Bablu, former organising secretary of district BNP, at a press conference at Satkhira Reporters Club accused Palash and some others of their involvement in toll collection, tender manipulation, land grabbing, illegal occupation of shrimp enclosures and drug trafficking.

On the following day, Palash held a press conference at the same venue, where he refuted the charges and blamed his rivals.

The party high command summoned Habib and Palash for a meeting in Dhaka on June 23 last year to mend the differences. The high command asked them to form a full fledged committee by June 29 last year.

As they failed to form a committee within the deadline, 39 top leaders of district and upazila levels were summoned to Dhaka on July 4 last year to resolve the crisis.

The feud intensified further as the feuding groups brought out separate processions and held rallies in the town in observance of the founding anniversary of BNP on September 1.

Rahmatullah Palash was ignored during the Khaleda Zia's visit to Kalaroa where she addressed a public meeting at Kalaroa high school ground on February 22 this year. The rival faction barred him even from sitting on the podium, sources said.

At least six incidents of clash between the two rival groups took place in the last two years.