Rift widens in Satkhira AL

The Central Working Committee had set deadline to hold the council by September 30 last year.

The party is virtually inactive now because of rivalry at district, thana and union levels, party insiders said talking to this correspondent.

AL chief Sheikh Hasina on August 11, 1998 dissolved the district committee headed by Syed Kamal Bakht and Monsur Ahmed as president and general secretary respectively for their "anti people" role.

In the some year, district committees of AL's fronts Chhatra League and Jubo League were also dissolved on the same charge.

On November 21, 1999, the AL chief formed a convening committee headed by Syed Kamal Bakht and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as convenor and joint convenor respectively for 90 days and asked local leaders to form a district committee through a council.

Syed Kamal Bakht died in 2000. The local leaders failed hold a council and form a district committee within 90 days.

The insiders said party leaders and activists in most of the thana units are split into several groups over formation of committees as the district leaders want their men in the proposed bodies.

Despite intra-party conflicts, councils of seven out of eight thana units were held by February. The seven units are Satkhira Sadar, Satkhira Pourasava, Debhata, Kaligonj, Shyamnagar and Assassuni.

Council of Kalaroa thana AL could not be held due to a "serious rift". The conflict there widened as some influential local leaders who were witnesses in Hasina motorcade attack case later gave written statements to the investigation officer that no such incident took place.

Hasina's motorcade came under attack in Kolaroa on August 30 last year.

An influential party leader in Satkhira said central leaders should resolve the dispute in Kolaroa immediately. Otherwise, the party will face a serious set back while Jamat-e-Islami is gaining strength, he said.