Dhaka Bureau: Who will be the leader of the party if there is a situation where the BNP participates in the polls in the future? Sharmila Rahman Sinthi, the wife of Khaleda Zia’s youngest son, Arafat Rahman Koko, has suddenly returned to the country when there was such a strong discussion in the political circles. He is rumored to be active in politics. BNP leaders are also considering him as an alternative. If the demands are met in the movement or after reconciliation with the government, Sharmila will be at the election rally as a symbol of the unity of the Zia family. Related sources have given this information.
Sources say that the government suddenly brought up the issue of giving Khaleda Zia a chance to do politics after five years, the dinner of BNP leaders at her residence at the invitation of the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pranay Kumar Verma, the letter from the Election Commission to the BNP proposing discussions, and the sudden arrival of Sharmila Sinthi in Dhaka. All these are based on the same formula. There is a lot of whispering about this inside and outside the BNP. Some say that there are already signs of BNP reconciliation with the government. Sinthi came to Dhaka to mediate that agreement.
However, dismissing the issue as baseless, senior leaders of the BNP said that such false news would come out before the election. There is no reason to ignore them. The head of the party is still Khaleda Zia, and Tariq Rahman is leading the party in her absence. If there is any change in the future, it will be their decision.
On the instructions of Khaleda Zia, Sinthi returned to Dhaka from London at midnight on Tuesday, March 21. Currently, he is staying at Firoz, Khaleda Zia’s residence in Gulshan. That is where the course of the BNP’s politics is going in the future. There are reports that Sinthi will stay with her mother-in-law for the entire month of fasting, but sources claim that she is not going anywhere before the announcement of the election manifesto. Sinthi will prepare himself in the field of politics at this time. Because mother-in-law Khaleda Zia wants Sharmila to take charge of BNP for the time being.
According to family sources, daughter-in-law Sharmila Rahman was always close to Khaleda Zia during her illness. Even before this, Sinthi rushed to the country to try to reconcile with the government on the issue of Khaleda Zia’s release. Sharmila Rahman came to Dhaka on October 25, 2021, to see Khaleda Zia when she fell seriously ill. Because of these reasons, Khaleda Zia has a special attraction for Sinthi.
If asked, a member of the standing committee. Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain said that the environment for the BNP to go to the elections has not yet been created. Moreover, Chairperson Khaleda Zia is still the main policymaker of the BNP. Although he could not run the party due to illness, the party is running well under the leadership of Acting Chairman Tariq Rahman. I don’t know what is being discussed about others, but the situation will tell about the implementation.
According to sources, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met Khaleda Zia in Feroza on the night of March 23. He often went to Feroza to inquire about Khaleda Zia. However, on that day, they talked about the next election and movement for about an hour. At that time, Zia’s daughter-in-law, Sinthi Khaleda, was next to her.
Sources claim that Khaleda Zia has a positive opinion about participating in the upcoming elections. He wants to enter the election campaign. At that time, Sinthi told Mirza Fakhrul not to run the party, but he wanted to be by its side for any needs. If necessary, he is ready to enter the field of politics right now.
According to reliable sources within BNP, the election preparations have started in BNP even though it has not directly announced about participating in the 12th National Assembly elections. In the end, the party wants to enter the electoral arena with Khaleda Zia as its chairperson. If it is not possible due to legal complications, an acceptable member of the Zia family should lead the campaign from the front. In this case, Khaleda Zia, Tarek Rahman’s wife, was at the top of everyone’s list. Zobaida Rahman. But due to the case, there is no possibility of him returning to the country. Tariq Rahman does not want his daughter Zaima Rahman to enter politics now. Therefore, Sharmila Rahman Sinthi, wife of Khaleda Zia’s younger son, the late Arafat Rahman Koko, can be seen in the election campaign field as her alternative.
According to a senior leader of BNP, there is no shortage of qualified leaders in BNP. But the people of the country know the Zia family as the BNP. For this reason, if Khaleda Zia cannot be in the electoral field due to legal reasons, someone from the Zia family will be brought forward. There are at least three reasons behind this. These are: if the Zia family is in the grain of rice campaign, the people of the country will not be confused, the chain of command of the party will be in order, and if someone from the Zia family is physically present, there will be no problem with the election nomination.
When asked, BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told the media that BNP is not going to the elections until the demands are met; it is a party decision. Who will lead the BNP’s election campaign will depend on the decision of chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tariq Rahman. If they feel that any other member of the family will actively participate in politics for the good of the party and the country, then so be it.
