Expelled BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan speaks to party activists at a meeting at his Gulshan residence in the capital yesterday.Photo: STAR

Followers of expelled BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday challenged their opponents to run the party under the leadership of senior leaders, including Bhuiyan, and excluding detained Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
"We will lead the mainstream BNP as we are the real followers of late president Zia," Bhuiyan said at an informal meeting at his Gulshan residence. The BNP will form the next government through participating in the upcoming general elections after implementation of reforms led by the reformists, he added.
He urged BNP leaders and workers to save the party from dynasty politics.
Blaming the detained party chairperson for initiating division in the party through the recent expulsion order, many district leaders and former lawmakers of BNP expressed firm determination to lead the party under Bhuiyan's leadership.
Strongly criticising Khaleda for expelling Bhuiyan, they said she should take the responsibility of breaking up the party as she has initiated the division through her expulsion order.
The leaders were addressing the meeting of the members of the party's National Executive Committee called by Bhuiyan.
Around 100 former lawmakers and district level leaders out of the 251 National Executive Committee members, including Dhaka city Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf and Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, attended the meeting.
Bhuiyan is also planning to talk with those who could not attend the meeting due to time constraint but expressed their solidarity with him. Many BNP supporters were also present in the meeting.
The meeting was arranged at the parking space of Bhuiyan's NAM building residence. The venue displayed a banner containing only the photograph of founder of the party and late president Ziaur Rahman.
The organisers, however, said it was not a meeting since there is a ban on politics and that they only used microphone and loud speakers for an "informal" discussion.
Leaders and workers present at the meeting chanted slogans to express their solidarity with Mannan Bhuiyan and other senior leaders.
Bhuiyan said at the meeting, "Suddenly they have expelled me although I have been in the party for the last 25 years. They can take my post but they cannot expel me from the party without issuing any notice...We cannot accept such leadership."
Bhuiyan, who was a powerful minister during the BNP-led alliance government, expressed his determination to keep the party united. He said, "The image of the party has been destroyed in the last five years. So, sacrificing leadership would be reinstated in the party and the corrupt and terrorist leaders will be excluded.
"We have to implement reforms to restore the party's image," he said, adding that a collective leadership of honest and competent persons should be established.
"Some persons are speaking against reforms. They looted public wealth when the party was in power...They have no popularity and they cannot win the election without the help of the administration," he said.
Bhuiyan also said the country cannot go back to the situation before January 11 since it saved the nation from a civil war like situation. "The real face of many persons have been made public after January 11," he noted.
Hinting at Bhuiyan's expulsion, Sadeque Hossain Khoka said Khaleda Zia proved the necessity of reforms before her arrest. "It was an unnecessary decision at a time when the party needed unity," he said.
"It is not a time to get post or position...Take the leadership after implementation of reforms," he said directing at Khandaker Delwar Hossain and Hannan Shah.
Former minister and BNP Vice President Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said the party chairperson has started the dividing process in the party through the expulsion order.
"Who took the decision? Did they inform the party standing committee? It is absolutely an undemocratic decision," he said, adding that the party could not hold a council in the last 24 years.
Mofazzal Karim, an adviser to the BNP chairperson, said, "We cannot accept this kind of expulsion as both the expelled leaders have sacrificed for the party.
"They made the expulsion order to let corrupt people in the party, but we will not allow anyone to destroy the party," he said, adding that the party will boost up under the leadership of Mannan Bhuiyan.
Former lawmaker Tasnim Rana said, "Khaleda Zia expelled the leaders who are not corrupt, so we cannot support the expulsion decision."
Another former lawmaker Fazlul Azim said, "Those who have been forced to leave the party in the last five years should be brought back."
Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul said the party will run under the leadership of senior leaders, including Mannan Bhuiyan, in the absence of the chairperson.
"The expulsion has created an environment of division in the party. So, we have no alternative to a united BNP to make the party democratic through reforms," said Zahiruddin Swapan, a former lawmaker and information and research secretary of BNP central executive committee.
Former lawmakers and district leaders Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf, Ashraf Hossain, Asadul Habib Dulu, Abdul Alim, Mofiqul Hasan Tripti, Rezaul Karim, Joynal Abedin, Mosharraf Hossain Mangu, AFM Nazmul Huda, Shah Shahid Sarwar, Delwar Hossain Khan, Ali Newaz Khaiyam, Abdul Hye, Shah Abul Hossain, Abdul Khaleque Chantu, Major General (retd) Mahmudul Hasan, SA Sultan Titu, Shamsul Alam Pramanik, Ataur Rahman Angur, former student leader Monir Hossain, Syed Emran Reza Nur of Brahmanbaria, and Tofazzal Hossain of Narsingdi, among others, attended the meeting.