Following Khaleda Zia's strong criticism of BNP's reformist faction led by Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan on Sunday, leaders of that faction took their turn yesterday in coming down hard on their chairperson. They said they do not want to split the party rather they want to make it stronger. Alluding to Khaleda, BNP's reformist leaders of Mannan faction alleged that people who are talking about a possible split in the party themselves probably want to break it up. The pro-Mannan leaders also decided to discuss with district level leaders their party reform proposal to make the initiative a success through getting that adopted by a party council. The dissident leaders during a meeting with Mannan Bhuiyan in his residence yesterday blasted Khaleda for her accusations against them and their leader of reforms.
Khaleda Zia in her Sunday's speech had also said the reform proposal placed by the party secretary general is personal, but the pro-Mannan reformist leaders yesterday said that proposal is of the entire party, which will be adopted through a council.
Khaleda Zia on Sunday addressed a Jubo Dal meeting in New York over the phone and said, "Those who joined BNP from other parties, are conspiring to destroy the party in the name of reforms, taking the opportunity of the state of emergency. The conspiring leaders who came from other parties do not love BNP, they just want to stay close to the state power at any cost and have no ideal, they just love power."
But denying Khaleda's allegations ZA Khan, an adviser to the BNP chairperson, told reporters yesterday, "We are in the party and trying to keep the party united... Those who are talking about breaking up the party, might be thinking of splitting it themselves."
"We will continue our efforts to keep her [khaleda] with us at least till the council, which will finally decide all of our fates," he said after meeting Bhuiyan yesterday. When asked about the allegations raised by Khaleda against the reformist leaders, Kamal Ibne Yusuf, a former minister and a vice-president of the party said, "We are working to bring changes to the party constitution and to make the party stronger keeping everyone with us."