Grassroots-level leaders of the Awami League (AL) are busy fighting with each other, when the party high-ups are preparing for an extended meeting to give them instructions for the next general election, leaving aside internal conflicts.  The AL is set to hold the extended meeting, aimed at strengthening the organisation ahead of the polls, at Sheikh Hasina’s official residence today (Saturday). The meeting will begin at 10:30am.
AL insiders said the party president would give directives to strengthen the party at the grassroots level and avoid internal conflicts ahead of the polls, to ensure "Nouka's" victory in the 2019 polls.  Despite attempts by the party high-ups to minimise disputes, internal conflicts continue unabated.
 In the latest such incident, the police arrested 11 people, including Sirhan Sharif Tomal, son of land minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif, yesterday (Friday). This was in connection with a case filed for vandalism in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna.
 Local leaders said Sirhan, president of the Ishwardi upazila unit of the Jubo League, the AL's youth wing, was a victim of intra-party feud.
 When contacted, Sirhan's father and the AL's Pabna district president, Shamsur Rahman Sharif, said there is a longstanding dispute among local ruling party men. The police yesterday arrested some of the party leaders for vandalism that took place because of internal conflict.
 Sheikh Hasina has directed her party’s rank and file to minimise internal conflicts. The party has taken various measures, including meeting grassroots-level leaders in Dhaka, for curbing intra-party feuds.
  According to a party press release, the AL’s central committee members, advisory council members, national committee members, Parliament members, presidents and secretaries of all organisational districts and secretaries of its publicity and publications, and information and research affairs secretaries will be asked to attend the extended meeting.
This correspondent spoke to a number of grassroots-level leaders who are expected to attend the meeting today. They said Sheikh Hasina would give them instructions on the next polls.  
 Talking to this correspondent, the AL's organising secretary, Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan, said yesterday that the party president would ask her party men to highlight the AL-led government’s success stories in remote areas. “As far as I know, our party chief will give us instructions on the next polls, and would definitely ask us to remain united to
strengthen the party,” he added.  
Regarding the latest internal conflict, Swapan said: “We are trying to minimise disputes within the party, but I think it is not possible.”
When contacted, advocate Baki Billah, president of the AL’s Jamalpur district unit, said: “Our leader may tell us to remain united and work for party candidates in the next polls to ensure their victory. But we will urge her to nominate fair, dedicated and popular candidates.”
Anwar Hossain Samrat, general secretary of the Panchagar district unit, said: “If we get the chance to speak our mind, we will request our leader not to give nomination on the basis of party posts and nice faces.”
He also said that the party high-ups should not give nomination to those involved in intra-party feuds by violating organisational rules.