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AL mulls radical changes in BCL leadership
[Bangla Daily Star] The ruling Awami League (AL) plans to change the leadership of its student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) to pull the organisation out of the mire of factional feuds. The recent spate of violence in educational institutions over control of campus, extortion and tender manipulation has tainted BCL so much that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stepped down as its constitutional head."Sheikh Hasina is considering reorganising Chhatra League to get it back on track," said AL Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader. Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, he said the party high command wants BCL to go through some radical changes to ensure its leaders and workers desist from extortion, tender manipulation and illegal trade over admission to schools, colleges and universities. The AL high-ups will work out ways to confine the BCL activities to issues of student interests. He however did not elaborate on the prospective measures. Sources said the top echelons of different organisational units including the central committee would be changed. Committees down to the grassroots level would be reorganised in strict adherence to the 29-year age limit. The AL president set the age bar to rid the organisation of non-students and promote young leadership. It was first applied to election of the current central leadership including BCL President Mahmud Hasan Ripon and General Secretary Mahfuzul Haider Roton in April 2006. But the provision was not much in use as Ripon-Roton committee could not yet form BCL units at the other levels using the age criterion. This left the two faced with the task of dealing with district and university committee leaders many years their senior. As a result, they failed to have a commanding presence and ensure order and discipline within the organisation. Observers say the central leadership's failure to assert themselves caused the chain of command to fall apart, leading to factional clashes in different educational institutions. "The chain of command must be restored through reorganisation of the student body," observed Quader, also former BCL president. He said the party chief should form a team of recently-retired student leaders to see to BCL politics. Quader used to take care of matters relating to BCL on behalf of the AL chief before formation of the present central committee in 2006. Posted by: Fred 2009-04-07 |
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