Ruling Awami League yesterday announced its new central committee, leaving out veterans like Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzaq, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta, and bringing in many fresh faces.
The committee confirms speculations over the last few days that those who had attempted intra-party reforms after 1/11 were going to be dropped.
The 13-member presidium, highest policy-making body of the party, has six new inductees--Yusuf Hossain Humayun, Raziuddin Ahmed Razu, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Satish Chandra Roy, Sahara Khatun and Obaidul Quader.
Newly-elected General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam unveiled the committee at a press briefing at Jamuna, prime minister's official residence, in the late afternoon.
Names of a joint general secretary and the information and research secretary however were not announced yet.
Amu, Razzaq, Tofail and Suranjit--all known as pro-reform stalwarts--have been placed in the 20-member advisory council. It means they will have no say in decision-making.
Apparently, the exclusion marks an end to their long dominance in the country's largest political party.
Abdul Jalil, who stood down as general secretary before the AL national council, has been given a berth in the advisory council.
The previous seven organising secretaries, some of whom were widely criticised for their role during the state of emergency, could not even make it to the committee announced so far.
Their successors to the posts are Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Ahammad Hossain, Mejbahuddin Siraj, BM Mozammel Haque, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Abu Sayeed Swapan and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury.
Of the new entrants to the presidium, Razu, Latif and Sahara are members of the cabinet. They share between them post and telecommunications, jute and textile and home affairs ministries.
Humayun, a Supreme Court lawyer, was a counsel for Sheikh Hasina while she was detained during the caretaker government rule. He lost the December 29 election at Bhola-1.
Satish was elected to parliament four times between 1979 and 1996. He was a state minister in the AL government in 1996-2001. He is an incumbent vice-president of Dinajpur district AL.
Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni have been made joint general secretaries. Obaidul Quader and Syed Ashraful Islam held the posts in the last committee.
Hanif is a special assistant to the prime minister and vice-president of Kushtia district AL. He stood for election from Kustia-2 in 1996 and 2001, but lost. He is a relative of Abul Hasnat Abdullah, Hasina's cousin.
Of the organising secretaries, Nanak is Jubo League chairman and state minister for LGRD and cooperatives. Accused in several cases, he was on the run during the state of emergency.
Ahammad Hossain is a former leader of Chhatra League.
Siraj is general secretary of Sylhet city AL and has recently been appointed public prosecutor of the district.
BM Mozammel Haque, lawmaker from Shariatpur-1, was deputy office secretary in the previous committee.
Bahauddin Nasim, Awami Swechchasebak League president, was an APS to the prime minister in 1996-2001. He was holed up abroad during the last caretaker government rule.
Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan is a former student leader, who lost the ninth parliamentary election from a Joypurhat constituency.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, now member of parliament from Dinajpur-2, was a special assistant to the AL chief from 2005 to 2007.
Ahammad, Siraj, Nasim, Swapan and Khalid were assistant secretaries in now-dissolved AL sub-committees.
Several prominent figures, who were departmental secretaries in the previous committee, too have been shown the door.
At the national council on July 24, Sheikh Hasina was re-elected AL president and had Ashraf as general secretary.
The councillors authorised the two to pick the rest including members of the presidium.
After re-election, Hasina said she holds no grudge against those who played dubious role during the state of emergency, and that she had forgiven them.
The composition of the new committee however does not reflect her conciliatory statement at the council, observed some leaders.
Insiders say the party chief had to change her tune as the grassroots-level leaders vehemently opposed retaining the ones who sought to reform the organisation in her absence.
In talks with her after the council, district-level leaders urged her not to accommodate the “pro-reform” leaders in the central committee.
Hasina, who is scheduled to meet President Zillur Rahman at the Bangabhaban this morning, now has to pick 26 general members within the next 15 days.
According to the AL constitution, 47 of the 73 members of the executive committee shall be elected by the councillors, and the party chief will choose 26 others in consultation with the presidium within 21 days since the national council.
Announcing the committee, Syed Ashraf, also an ex officio member of the presidium, said names of the 26 members would be announced after a presidium meeting soon.
He said the councillors had unanimously empowered Hasina to form the central committee.
Still, she talked to councillors and leaders and workers over the last five days to know their opinions, said Ashraf, also LGRD and cooperatives minister.
“Around 300 leaders and councillors met her every day and this committee was formed on the basis of their opinions.”
The AL-led coalition swept to power through a landslide victory in the December 29 parliamentary election.
Meanwhile, some of the left-out party leaders yesterday expressed mixed reactions. While some welcomed the new committee, others voiced frustration.
Amir Hossain Amu and Jalil welcomed the new leadership and wished them best of luck.
Tofail and Suranjit however declined to comment.
Speaking in return for anonymity, an ex-organising secretary said, “I feel let down. I didn't expect it.”