AL Lacking True Activists: Quader

Expressing frustration at the growing number of ruling party leaders, Awami League Secretary-General Obaidul Quader said today that real activists in their party are actually falling.

"The number of activists is dropping day by day, while the number of leaders is rising. We don't need a lot of leaders. Today, we need true activists for the party," Quader said at noon, addressing the triennial council of Rajshahi City AL Unit in Rajshahi Madrassa.

"Looking at the stage, you will notice that there are a lot of leaders out there. People don't even know the bright faces on billboards, and that's [billboard] the spot they shine at," he added.

Quader, also the Road, Transport and Bridges Minister, urged the AL activists and leaders not to make the party weak by forming ‘pocket committees’.

He told them that ‘opportunists’ will sneak into their fold if committees are formed with people who have been ‘sold out’.

“Don’t hang a mosquito net inside a mosquito net. Don’t make a house inside a house. We’re awaiting a difficult challenge. We’ve to overcome this challenge. AL must be reformed with true activists,” the minister told the party activists.

Quader warned that 'opportunists, goons, racketeers, land grabbers, and drug dealers' will not be tolerated in AL during Mujib Borsho. "Bear in mind that power is not eternal, and one must be acceptable to people if he wants to become a leader."

Later, Quader announced AHM Khairuzzman Liton as the president while Dablu Sarker general secretary of AL Rajshahi city committee, and instructed them to form the full committee within the next month.

AL presidium members Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, joint general secretary and information minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud, MP Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan, SM Kamal Hossain, members of the AL central committee Nurul Islam Thandu and Begum Akhtar Jahan were, among others, spoke on the occasion.