Jahangir’s shadow persists in Gazipur AL

Awami League and associate organisations do not have any full-fledged committees except the district unit. The party’s city unit is running without a full-fledged committee leading to dissatisfaction in the party ranks. Former mayor of Gazipur city corporation Jahangir Alam, who has been expelled from the party, still holds sway in the politics of Gazipur city. Many think attendance in the party's political programme has thinned due to Jahangir’s absence.

All lawmakers of Gazipur belong to AL. Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque leads them all. The MPs have started campaigning in their constituencies ahead of the upcoming general election.

BNP has seven central leaders in Gazipur, but lack of coordination appears in the movement of the party in the district. The grassroots activists of BNP are not seen joining the party programmes in all spontaneity. Meanwhile, a political rift has been created after the city BNP president declared himself a candidate from Gazipur-1 constituency.

Gazipur city AL’s council was held on 19 November last year. Azmat Ullah Khan was declared president and Ataullah Mandal secretary in the council. The party leaders-activists who are aspirants to get posts in the committee are irked as the full-fledged committee was not declared in eleven months. Azmat Ullah Khan said the committee would be formed within a month.

Also, the full-fledged committees were supposed to be formed for 9 thana units of the city before the council. The process of announcing the thana committees has been stalled after two of these got full-fledged committees and name of president-secretary were declared in three other thanas.

Only Gazipur district has a full-fledged committee. Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque is the president of district AL. District and city units of Jubo League have been running with convening committees for seven years, Mahila League is being run with an acting president in charge. The Krishak League’s committee expired a year ago. Chhatra League city and district units have been run by presidents and secretaries for around a year. They could not form full-fledged committees in the two units in nearly a year.

District AL’s general secretary and Gazipur-3 lawmaker Iqbal Hossain said these committees would be updated after the election.

AKM Mozammel Haque said, “We are frustrated about forming new committees. The trend of politics has changed nowadays. No council or anything is needed, and committees are formed by lobbying. This is why I don’t want to meddle with other committees.”

Although Jahangir Alam was ‘permanently expelled’ from the party on 15 May, he is still very much in focus in local politics. Several thousand leaders and activists led by Jahangir joined AL’s recent peace rally in Dhaka. His supporters maintain that Jahargir’s absence cost the party dearly in the city. Konabari thana AL’s former president Akkas Ali said Jahangir knows how to orgnaise the party. AL was well-organised when Jahangir was city unit secretary but the party is in disarray now.  

Jahangir Alam said, “Most of the leaders and activists of the city unit were with me in the past and they are still with me. I’m working for the party taking them along with me.”

Azmat Ullah, however, said since Jahangir is not in the party, he can't have any influence in the party. A decision would be taken if he returns to the party.

All lawmakers in five constituencies in Gazipur belong to AL. Of them, the nomination race is supposed to be tough in two constituencies. In Gazipur-3 (Sreepur and part of Sadar upazila), former lawmaker Rahmat Ali’s daughter Rumana Ali (lawmaker from reserved seat) and Jamil Hasan are active to get party nomination alongside the current lawmaker Iqbal Hossain. In Gazipur-5 (Kaliganj and part of Sadar), current lawmaker Meher Afroz Chumki might fight for party nomination with former zila parishad chairman Aktaruzzaman.

AKM Mozammel Haque in Gaizpur-1, state minister for youth and sports Zahid Ahsan Rasel in Gazipur-2 and Simin Hossain Rimi in Gazipur-4 don’t have any other party nomination aspirants in their respective seats.

Seven leaders of BNP’s central executive body are from Gazipur district, yet the rank and file of the party see lack of coordination in organising the political activities. This led to thin attendance in the party programmes. A rift has appeared in the party after city BNP’s president Shawkat Hossain Sarker announced his candidacy in Gazipur-1.

Central executive committee member Mazharul Islam said, “We have been launching a movement demanding elections be held under a neutral administration. We don’t know why he declared himself candidate in Gazipur-1 without any consultation with the party leaders-activists. This has irked the secretary and other central leaders from the district.”

Shawkat Hossain Sarker said he should not have declared himself as candidate.

“I consider myself as a minor leader of the party. We are now in a movement demanding elections under a neutral administration,” he added.

Although district BNP has a full-fledged committee, the city unit is running with only president and secretary since last June. Shakwat Hossain Sarker was elected president of the city unit while deceased BNP leader and former mayor MA Mannan’s son Manjurul Karim was made secretary. They are yet to form a full-fledged committee after four months leading to dissatisfaction of the grassroots leaders and activists.

BNP leaders and activists face over a hundred cases in Gazipur. At least five thousand BNP men are implicated in these cases. Some of them are in jail, some others are on bail and some are absconding. District BNP’s former secretary and central executive committee member Kazi Sayedul Alam thinks many BNP leaders cannot join party programmes due to such legal harassment.

District BNP’s secretary Shah Riazul Hannan told Prothom Alo there is no dissatisfaction among the party men over the district committee since it was formed through voting. They are prepared to take part in any programme of the central committee.

He added that the process to announce full-fledged committees in different units is on.