An internal conflict has surfaced in Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) again as many ‘popular’ leaders have already lost party posts and many others have become inactive in the party activities.

“BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman doesn’t tolerate any disobedience to his leadership. Some popular leaders have lost their party posts as they argued against some organisational decisions,” a central leader told the Daily Sun, wishing not to be named.

The removal of the ‘important and socially acceptable’ leaders has caused panic among other leaders while a large number of the party leaders and activists are also unhappy with their high command.

Insiders said a number of its central leaders, including BNP’s Narayanganj district convener Taimur Alam Khandaker, Khulna Division organising secretary and national executive committee member Nazrul Islam Manju and Cumilla City Corporation mayor Monirul Haque Sakku, have recently been relieved of their party posts.

Most of the senior leaders, even BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in some cases, do not know about the decisions and exact reasons behind the organisational action of relieving some leaders of their posts.

“BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, who is also in charge of the party’s office secretary, sent termination letters to the leaders directly on the instruction of Tarique Rahman who is now staying in London. And the senior leaders are informed later in many cases,” a central leader said.

Asked about the removal of BNP leaders from their party posts, BNP standing committee member Jamiruddin Sircar told the Daily Sun, “Such incident happens usually in a big political party. I don’t know the exact reason behind the removal of Manju and Sakku.”

He further said the issue of removing the leaders from the BNP’s vital posts was also not discussed in the standing committee, the highest policymaking body of the party.

In the latest development, Manju has been relieved of his post on charges of violating the party’s disciplines. Manju held a press conference on December 14 and criticised the party senior leaders over the formation of a new committee of Khulna city unit BNP, dissolving the Monju-led committee of the city unit.

At the press conference, Manju urged the party’s top leaders to reconsider the decision as he said many dedicated leaders were ignored in the new committee. Manju told reporters a show-cause notice was served on him for violating the party discipline and he gave a reply to it but the party high-ups were not happy with his reply.

Earlier, BNP relieved Sakku of its national executive committee post on charges of breaching the party discipline.

According to party sources said Sakku was relieved of the post in October but the issue was out of the discussion.

The party sources said BNP called a meeting between central and field level leaders on September to fix the party’s strategy but Sakku did not attend. Tarique joined the meeting virtually from London and he became unhappy with Sakku for his absence.

Talking to reporters, Sakku said, “I replied that I had a meeting with the American ambassador on the meeting day. A letter came to me from Dhaka two days before the meeting, therefore, I couldn’t join.”

Taimur has recently been relieved of the Narayanganj district convener post of BNP for contesting city polls as the opposition has boycotted local-government polls under the Awami League-led government and the Election Commission.

However, Taimur claimed that his responsibility has been shifted to another leader for a limited time as he is contesting in the election. But the party insiders said he has been relieved under the pressure of other leaders of Narayaganj and disobeying Tarique’s decision.

Earlier, in June this year, BNP’s former Forest and Environment Affairs secretary Col (retd) Shahjahan Mia and the party’s Central Executive Committee member Major (retd) Hanif submitted their resignation letters on personal grounds, party sources said.

Actually they resigned from the party as they were not happy with the party’s current leadership, the sources added.

A senior leader of the party wishing not to be named said actually the removal of the party’s central leaders have surfaced the internal conflict which will demoralise the party’s grassroots leaders.

Talking to the Daily Sun, some central leaders said that the sudden removal of party’s leaders will affect it organizationally as they have acceptability to the grassroots leaders and activists. Second, the action may also affect the party’s ongoing movement demanding Khaleda Zia’s advanced treatment abroad.

A senior leader of the party said in the current situation the members of the standing committee are also worried about these decisions and they are also scared and are saying nothing about it.