The ruling BNP is planning to restore its chain of command, discipline leaders and activists, and stregthen its organisational structure amid concerns that unruly behaviour by some party members could damage the government’s public image.
As part of this effort, BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to meet with grassroots leaders in the second week of this month to provide them with direct instructions on party discipline and organisational activities.
This will be Tarique’s first such meeting with grassroots leaders after becoming the prime minister.
BNP policymakers said the party leadership has become concerned over discourteous behaviour by some leaders and activists with the public, local-level infighting, weak coordination and allegations of links with criminal elements.
“We are planning to hold a meeting with leaders of all district units, where our leader Tarique Rahman will give them necessary directives on strengthening organisational activities and maintaining party discipline,” said Syed Emran Saleh Prince, joint secretary general of BNP.
Presidents, general secretaries, conveners and member secretaries of 82 organisational districts are expected to attend the meeting, according to party sources.
Grassroots leaders may also be asked to share their views on the party, the government’s performance, local problems, internal disputes and organisational weaknesses in their areas.
Two senior ministers, who are also BNP policymakers, told this newspaper that they would soon sit with Tarique to discuss the party’s next course of action.
They said the party chief wants to hear from both central and grassroots leaders before taking major organisational decisions.
Several senior leaders have taken up government responsibilities as ministers or lawmakers, while many others have been removed from party posts or are inactive.
This has created a vacuum in the organisational structure and weakened coordination between the central leadership and grassroots units.
Decision-making has also slowed in some areas because many influential leaders are now busy with government and parliamentary work.
BNP policymakers have primarily identified a breakdown in the chain of command, lack of coordination, internal feud and weak supervision as major reasons behind the situation.
Unacceptable activities by some leaders of associated bodies and front organisations are leaving a negative impact on people, said a BNP standing committee member, who is also a minister, seeking anonymity.
“The government and the party cannot be separated in people’s eyes. If party activists behave poorly, people will also blame the government. It is a wake-up call for both the government and the party.”
More than two months have passed since the election.
“The government is trying to perform well, but a section of party leaders and activists is doing things that are hurting the party’s image,” he added.
Party insiders said Tarique is considering a quick reorganisation of the BNP’s front and associate bodies, alongside measures to strengthen the party’s grassroots network.
He wants to keep the party active outside the government, they said.
For this, Tarique may assign senior leaders who were not made ministers or MPs to oversee the reorganisation process and make party activities more dynamic.
BNP leaders said the party also wants to hold its national council by the end of the year.
Before that, it wants to activate grassroots units, reduce internal divisions and update committees at different levels.
The BNP last held its national council on March 19, 2016. Under the party constitution, a council is supposed to be held every three years.
Party leaders said the council could not be held during the last 17 years of Awami League rule because of political, legal and organisational constraints.
The council is important because it decides the party’s key committees and sets the organisational direction for the next term, they said.
Meanwhile, the terms of 10 out of 11 committees of the BNP’s affiliated and associate bodies have expired, according to party insiders.
The committees of Chhatra Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, Krishak Dal, Mohila Dal, Muktijoddha Dal, Sramik Dal, Tanti Dal and Jatiotabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (JASAS) have expired.
Jubo Dal is still running with a partial committee, while Matsyajibi Dal has had no committee since 2024.
Chhatra Dal’s committee expired on March 1 this year. The Jubo Dal central committee remains incomplete one and a half years after a partial committee was announced on July 9, 2024.
The Swechchhasebak Dal committee, formed on September 4, 2022, completed its term last year. Krishak Dal’s committee expired one and a half years ago.
Mohila Dal’s committee, formed in 2016 for a two-year term, has been functioning for nearly a decade. Muktijoddha Dal and Sramik Dal are also operating with committees formed more than a decade ago.
The Tanti Dal committee, formed in 2019, completed its term in 2022. Matsyajibi Dal’s committee was dissolved in September 2024, but no new committee has been announced. JASAS’s three-year committee has been in place for nearly five years.
