BNP averts split despite AL efforts

BNP leaders say the ruling Awami League's desperate attempt to cause a large-scale defection from their party has failed because only one prominent leader jumped ship.

By incarcerating a large number of the party's leaders and forming new parties like the BNM and BSP, the government tried to compel BNP leaders to desert their party and participate in the election, they say, adding that a large number of its leaders were handed jail sentences while properties owned by others were attacked. 

But the leaders are showing loyalty to the party in the face of oppression and ignoring the lure of membership in parliament, says Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, standing committee member of the party, adding that it is a major win for the BNP.

Had multiple prominent leaders left the party, it would have been difficult to keep the activists united, says a central committee member of the party, adding that it is a relief for the BNP that the time to file for nominations is up and the BNP leaders will no longer be tempted to join the election.

Just as the filing of nomination papers came to a close on Thursday afternoon, Shahjahan Omar, who was the vice president of BNP, announced that he was running for parliament as an Awami League nominee for Jhalakathi-1.

The surprise announcement came less than 24 hours after he walked out of jail on bail. The collection of his nomination form from the ruling party, the ruling party's decision to nominate him, and the submission of papers to the assistant returning officer must have happened really fast for Omar to make the deadline.

"Shahjahan Omar's incident has exposed how the government controls the judiciary. It also exposed the government's effort to split the BNP. This one single incident has laid everything bare," says a standing committee member, wishing not to be named.

The ruling party leaders have often said the BNP men were eagerly waiting to participate in the election, says the leader, adding that those claims are now proven to be hollow rhetoric.

The BNP says over 18,000 leaders and activists have been arrested and more than 500 cases filed since October 28 when a BNP rally in the capital ended in clashes between law enforcers and party activists.

"It is clear that the BNP is united. People are defying oppression and the opposition parties are running a movement for election under a non-partisan interim government," Goyeshwar says.

According to the BNP, 14 of its leaders, including Omar, were compelled to desert the party. Of them, one was an adviser to the BNP chairperson, six others were executive committee members, and the rest were local leaders.

Two former BNP leaders, Taimur Alam Khandaker and Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, got top leadership positions in the Trinamool BNP. But both of them parted ways with the BNP a long time ago.

BNP leader Shah Jafar left the party and joined BNM as its acting chairman. Two of BNP's like-minded parties are also joining the election.

In the days following the announcement of the election schedule in mid-November, the BNP faced the challenge of keeping its base united, says a senior leader.

"We successfully overcame the challenge. There are criticisms that our leaders went into hiding. But that was also part of our strategy. They tried not to get arrested and forced to take part in the polls," said the senior leader.

Now that the pressure to join the election is gone, the men who went into hiding will return, says the leader, adding that the party will hold a standing committee meeting today or tomorrow.