Former BNP secretary general Mannan Bhuiya's belated hesitant move to float a new party has apparently been put hold following a recent move by a section of BNP leaders to bring him to the party. "This issue has been discussed at the top level and the party high command, in principle, agreed to accommodate Bhuiyan who was expelled from the party for his role during the post 1/11 period," a member of the party standing committee told The Independent on condition of anonymity.

It is learnt that Bhuiyan has signalled his readiness to join the party if he was given an honourable position. When contacted Mannan Bhuiyan told this correspondent that at this moment he did not want to comment on the issue. "I do not want to say anything now. Wait for sometime. I shall talk at an appropriate time," he said. Party sources said that BNP high Command wants unconditional return of Bhuiyan. "The mindset of the top leadership is that he should join first and then party might consider giving him an honourable position. But Bhuiyan wants to be assured of his position in the party before his return," the standing committee member said.

Sources said that a section in the party is vehemently opposing the re-entry of Bhuiyan arguing that his return would encourage others to betray the party in future also. But some BNP leaders claim that they have been able to convince chairperson Begum Kahelda Zia by recalling that in the past, leaders like Obaidur Rahman and Moudud Ahmed who had deserted the party in crucial times, were taken back. Sources close to Bhuiyan told this correspondent that the plan to float a new party had become uncertain following the initiatives to accommodate Bhuiyan in the party again. There were a series of meetings in Gulshan on floating a new party in October, but from the last week of October, Bhuiyan asked his associates to go slow.

Before this, some names including United Front, People's Front and National Front were provisionally selected for the proposed party to be floated. It was also decided that before announcing the central committee of the party, the skeleton body of the front organisations like Farmers Front, Youth Front, Women Front and Students Front would be formed, sources said. On the other hand, some of the associates of Bhuiyan still think that going back to BNP would not serve the purpose of reform for which they had challenged the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia. "We feel the necessity of floating a platform where one can practice good politics," said a close aide of Bhuiyan. But he said the next course of action depend on what the BNP decides at its scheduled meeting on December 8.

-The Independent