AL to speed up polls campaign after Eid
Party to resume countrywide organisational tour in a bid to minimise internal feud
Abu Jakir
The ruling Awami League (AL) will start its organisational and 2019 election publicity work in full swing across the country after Eid-ul-Azha. The party kept all political and organisational activities on hold in August. This was the month in which party founder and father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was murdered.
Also, in the last couple of months, the AL has received a blow from the court in terms of the 16th amendment case verdict. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on 3 July scrapped the 16th amendment and restored the Supreme Judicial Council. The full text of the verdict was released on 1 August, stirring a huge debate over which state organ is supremeis it the legislature or the judiciary?
After the 16th amendment case verdict, the organisational activities of the ruling AL almost halted. They could not pay any attention to the partys election-related activities.
AL central leaders said their political and organisational activities, including countrywide tours, have almost halted because August is the month of mourning and also because of the 16th amendment issue. But after Eid-ul-Azha, they will resume their political and organisational activities across the country, they added.
The party has called a meeting of its highest policymaking body, the Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC), at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas official residence Ganabhaban on September 7.
Insiders said the party chief will give the necessary instructions for the next general elections at the meeting. The prevailing political situation and the partys action plans targeting the next polls would be discussed, too, they added.
MP and AL joint general secretary Abdur Rahman said yesterday that they will resume their party activities in full swing after Eid-ul-Azha. He said their party activities and election publicity has been halted due to various reasons.
AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said they will resume the partys countrywide tour after Eid-ul-Azha to strengthen the organisation at the grass-roots level by minimising intra-party feud ahead of the next polls.
He also said that they will hold representative meetings across the country during the tours to give instructions to grassroots leaders and activists regarding the next poll.
AL organizing secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim said they will start tours, as directed by their party president, across the country after Eid. They will hold rallies, public meetings, street meetings, and the like to mobilize peoples support for AL, he added. He also said that the party high-ups will give more instructions at the September 7working committee meeting. The party has already directed the grass-roots leaders and local lawmakers to step up organisational activities and election publicity across the country as part of their preparation for the next general election.
The party circulated a letter signed by AL general secretary Obaidul Quader last month, asking its district, upazila, and union leaders and local lawmakers to boost their activities by holding uthan boithaks (yard meetings) in every village, ward, and union. The grassroots leaders have been asked to highlight the Sheikh Hasina governments development initiatives at those meetings to help people take the right decision in the next polls.
The party will also speed up its ongoing membership drive across the country after Eid-ul-Azha. On May 20, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the membership campaign at an extended meeting held at her official residence. AL insiders also said that after Eid, the partys central leaders, including Sheikh Hasina, will seek votes for the party at the rallies that will be held in each organisational district of the party.
