The Khulna city units of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its associate bodies are passing through a tough time as many of their leaders and activists have gone into hiding fearing arrest, leaving organisational activities in messes. The activities of both the city and district units of Khulna BNP are now only confined to closed-door meetings, short processions and posting press releases through internet. The grassroots activists during the anti-government stir are in rare demonstration of anger and internal disputes to give a big push to the activities of the mother organisation, which is also languishing for want of vigour and dynamism.  Joint secretary of the city unit BNP Principal Md Tariqul Islam said, “Scores of the city BNP leaders and activists have been accused in 64 politically motivated cases by Awami League activists and the government since the last year’s national election on January 5.”
Most of them are still behind bars, he also said. The rest are now in hiding to avoid arrest. Meanwhile, a senior vice-president on condition of anonymity said only an upgradation could lift the dented morale of the party’s grassroots activists and galvanise them into action.  It may be mentioned that the last council of the city unit BNP was held on November 25, 2009 on Khulna Circuit House premises.
Former lawmaker of Khulna Sadar constituency and convener of BNP led 20-party alliance Khulna city unit Nazrul Islam Monju was elected president and mayor of Khulna City Corporation (KCC) while Md Moniruzzaman Moni was elected general secretary unopposed.
This committee has even failed to form the full-fledged committee on various lame excuses leaving many post aspirants in frustration.
Many leaders have already engaged themselves in business or are living in Dhaka but they still hold their posts.  “A new leadership could not be grown because of long ‘tenure jam’ in the organisation,” he alleged.
Many ‘post-aspirant’ senior and mid-level leaders have expressed their resentment and frustration over non-formation of the full-fledged city, district and municipal committees for many years. Eventually, the ‘deprived’ leaders are not interested to attend party programmes.
Recently, the party high-ups have asked all units of the organisation to hold councils and form new committees by September 30.
In this regard, BNP city unit executive committee meeting was held at the party’s city office on August 22 with Khulna city unit president Nazrul Islam Monju in the chair.
After a thread-bare discussion, it was decided that councils of 31 ward committees will be held from September 11, five thana committee councils after Eid-ul-Azha and BNP city unit committee council will be held in the second week of October this year.
Many leaders and activists blamed that the city BNP is apparently divided into two major streams—Nazrul Islam Monju leads one camp and the other is headed by former lawmaker of Khulna-2 constituency and former BCB president Ali Asgar Loby.
Panel mayor-1 of KCC Md Anisur Rahman Biswas, a supporter of Loby group, also councilor of ward
no-16, said that if the active and dedicated activists are awarded with vital posts, Khulna BNP will succeed in any democratic movement against the present government.
He called upon the high command of the BNP to take initiatives to evaluate such activists for greater interest of the party. He further said, “We have been compelled to form the platform being deprived of getting our due respect in the city BNP committee.”
Sources in the newly formed platform said Ali Asgar Loby is backing the dissidents from behind the screen.
When contacted, Loby denied the allegation.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of Khulna city unit BNP Moniruzzaman Moni said that the victory in the last mayoral polls shows that there are no differences among the Khulna BNP leaders. “You cannot say that there will be no tiff among the leaders. However, we have to rise above our petty self-interests and work together for a greater cause. The political atmosphere of Khulna will witness a positive change with the comradeship of the senior leaders.”
President of Khulna city unit BNP Nazrul Islam Monju said only a section of misguided and dishonest men are trying to do some damage to the reputation of the party, forming a new platform. “Most of them are agents of the ruling party.
Let them go out to free Khulna BNP from political criminals. The most loyal party workers are with me. I am committed to my party. Any sort of programme detrimental to image of the party will be strongly resisted,” Monju added.
City unit president Monju further said, “All efforts to reorganise our organisation like holding council go in vain as government begins crackdown on us under one pretext or the other.”
“0esides, unannounced government ban on meetings, processions and rallies also frustrate our attempts to put our house in order,” he added.