BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday night said their party is likely to hold its seventh national council this year, although no date has yet been fixed for it.
“The BNP council will be held within this year. We have not finalised the date yet, but I think it will be held soon,” Fakhrul, also the LGRD Minister, said.
He made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the BNP Chairman’s Gulshan office.
The last council of the BNP was held in 2016 - a gap of ten years already, although the party has been known for long gaps between councils
Replying to a question about party activities after forming the government, Fakhrul said party activities are continuing, though at a limited scale.
“Party activities are going on, though in a smaller way. Most of our party’s senior members are now in government, so it will take some time to reorganise the party…the government will do its work and the party will do its own,” he said.
Fakhrul took a number of questions on the current political situation, activities of parliament, local government elections, government performance, appointment of vice-chancellors in universities, and the overall economic situation.
It was by most accounts the first time that the veteran politician, who has been serving as the BNP's secretary general since the last council (after serving some years as acting secretary general), engaged in a question-and-answer session with journalists since assuming his new office as a member of the cabinet.
He claimed that the BNP-led government has already started delivering on its election pledges within a month of taking office.
Fakhrul also said the government remains committed to implementing the issues it agreed to, i.e. those where it didn't register any dissenting note, under the July Charter.
He also tried to say that BNP seems to face global challenges whenever it comes to power, as he reflected on the Israel-Iran war, seemingly surprised by how soon it emerged after the new government in Dhaka took office. He expressed his satisfaction though, at how his government had handled matters so far.
“Despite the situation, there has been no disruption in fuel supply in the country, nor has the price increased, due to the government’s capacity,” he said.
The minister also said work is progressing on holding local government elections and the government plans to complete the process "as soon as possible", again holding out the possibility that it would be within this year.
Assessing the government’s overall performance, Fakhrul said success is visible across various sectors within the first month, but restoring and strengthening the economy still remains a work-in-progress, and the biggest challenge in the days ahead.
When his attention was drawn to the diabolical train derailment that occurred in the Santahar area of Bogura, Mirza Fakhrul said all steps have been taken to address the unexpected occurrence and the ensuing problems promptly, with train services that were interrupted set to resume normal service soon, with added safety.