Unsavory practices in rank and file stir BNP
BNP Faces Test of Discipline as Organisational Reshuffle Gains Pace
Thebangladaily.com – Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders are confronting renewed organisational strain as changes at the top coincide with defiance at the grassroots and allegations of misconduct involving people identified with the party. The immediate challenge is to restore discipline while moving ahead with a restructuring process intended to fill vacant posts and reinforce the party’s chain of command.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi assumed the role of acting secretary general after Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir left the position. He now carries a central responsibility in translating party decisions into action across local units, where questions of control and accountability have become increasingly important.
BNP announced in mid-September that it would move to appoint people to unfilled positions at several organisational levels and reshape its wider structure. The task is not simply administrative. It is closely tied to whether local leaders and activists follow central directives and whether the party can respond credibly when allegations of criminal conduct arise in its name.
Leadership Transition and Internal Perceptions
Mirza Fakhrul had played a major role in BNP organisational affairs over a long period. Rizvi developed his own profile through years of party work, particularly around the BNP’s Naya Paltan headquarters, regular media briefings and direct engagement with leaders and activists.
Since becoming acting secretary general, Rizvi has sought to accelerate organisational activity. Some within the party have suggested that figures once seen as close to Fakhrul are no longer receiving the same prominence, while leaders associated with Rizvi have become more visible in central activities.
Advocate Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, a BNP chairperson’s adviser, rejected the suggestion that the developments reflect a division inside the party.
“Not at all. There is no such rift within the party under the leadership of our chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Those spreading such narratives do not have good intentions,” he said.
Alal said Rizvi was working with Nazrul Islam Khan, a BNP Standing Committee member who is involved in the restructuring effort, rather than operating in competition with other senior figures.
“On the contrary, the current Acting Secretary General, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, is consistently cooperating with the party restructuring process led by our Standing Committee member, Nazrul Islam Khan.”
“He extends sincere cooperation to everyone entrusted with responsibilities for the party’s restructuring. Our acting Secretary General is a dedicated and sincere individual committed to the cause,” Alal added.
Misconduct Allegations Add Pressure
The party’s effort to reorganise has been complicated by allegations against local BNP leaders and activists in different areas. Names linked to the party have appeared in accusations involving assault, illegal occupation, extortion, vandalism and drug-related offences. Such incidents have placed political pressure on the BNP even though Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has taken a firm position against activities of this kind.
Several recent episodes have sharpened concern over both organisational discipline and law and order. They include an attack, vandalism and looting at Radda Health Centre; an alleged attempt to seize land in Mohammadpur; an armed attack in South Manikdi near ECB Chattar; vandalism at content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio; and an alleged effort to take control of an eight-storey building in Adabar.
The response to the Radda Health Centre incident was particularly significant. After local BNP and affiliated-organisation activists were implicated, the committees of Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP, Jubo Dal and Metropolitan West Chhatra Dal were dissolved. Fourteen people from BNP, Chhatra Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal and Sramik Dal were expelled from different organisational levels.
These measures underline the difficulty facing the party leadership: disciplinary action can demonstrate that misconduct will not be tolerated, but the recurrence of allegations also exposes weaknesses in local oversight. For a large national party, decisions made at the centre depend on local committees, affiliated bodies and activists carrying them out consistently.
Focus on Public Conduct
Alal said the BNP was attempting to encourage more public-oriented behaviour among grassroots leaders. He argued that political workers must be judged not only by their affiliation but by the conduct they choose in daily life.
“Every individual possesses both good and bad traits. However, whether a person exhibits good or bad behaviour depends on which aspect they cultivate more in their daily lives. That is why our party is conducting various programmes to mould grassroots politicians into public-friendly figures,” he said.
He also said responsibility should not stop with activists on the ground when senior figures encourage harmful conduct.
“I believe that senior leaders who incite grassroots activists to engage in misguided activities must also be held accountable. After all, the entire party is being placed in an embarrassing position because of a handful of such activists,” he added.
Alal maintained that BNP politics has remained answerable to the public and said this would continue. Any member whose actions run contrary to public expectations, he said, would face disciplinary consequences.
Expansion Brings Further Organisational Questions
Organisational management is also being tested by the party’s expanding local base. In Gopalganj, about 1,200 Awami League activists and leaders recently joined the BNP. Local BNP leaders attended an induction programme on June 3, and Dr K.M. Babar, MP for the Gopalganj-2 constituency, welcomed the new members.
Such large-scale additions can strengthen local networks, but they also increase the need for clear rules, scrutiny and coordination. As the BNP fills vacant positions and restructures its units, the leadership’s ability to enforce discipline, address allegations promptly and maintain public confidence will remain central to the party’s organisational direction.
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