Alternative leadership if Dr Kamal skips council: Montu

Mostafa Mohsin Montu, leader of a faction of Gonoforum, on Saturday hinted that they will remove party president Dr Kamal Hossain if he does not join their national council scheduled to be held on December 26.

"Dr Kamal Hossain is a revered person. He’s the founder of Gonoforum and I’m one of its founding members. As there has been stagnation in the party, we’re going to hold a council on December 26. We expect he’ll join the council,” he said after a council preparatory meeting of the faction.

Montu said, “The councillors will elect the leadership in the council and if they elect him our (main) leader, we’ll work with him without any hesitation as a worker. But if he doesn't join it, the councillors from across the country will elect alternative leadership,” reports UNB.

He said they are in favour of democracy in the country and they want to start the democratic practice within the party. “We hope we all will work together for the council to uphold the ideals and principles with which Gonoforum started its journey on August 29, 1993.”

Montu said they will not accept any undemocratic and individual-centric organisational activities.

Gonoforum executive president Prof Abu Sayeed said their party president or any other leader cannot expel or remove anyone from the party without holding a central executive committee meeting. “As per section 14 of our construction, only a meeting of the central committee can oust or remove any one from the party.”

He said an extended meeting of the party’s central committee recently expelled party general secretary Reza Kibria and three others from the party. “We didn’t oust Dr Kamal. He also can’t remove anyone. We’ll abide by the constitution and won’t allow any waywardness and take any authoritarian decision.”

The meeting decided to form a human-chain programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club on October 17 protesting the incidents of rape and violence against women across the country.

Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossain also convened a meeting of its central convening committee the same day at the Jatiya Press Club.

“Our central convening committee will meet on October 17 at the Jatiya Press Club. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:30am,” party General Secretary Reza Kibria told UNB on Saturday.

On September 26, the faction, led by Mostafa Mohsin Montu, Dr Abu Sayeed and Subrata Chowdhury, had an extended meeting of the party's central committee where they decided to hold a national council on December 26 next.

They also decided to expel party general secretary Dr Reza Kibria and three other leaders from the party.

Dr Kamal, however, said the meeting in the name of Gonoforum was illegal as the party president and convener were not aware of it.