Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh
Encyclopedia
Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh is a political party in Bangladesh
founded by former President of Bangladesh
and BNP parliamentarian Dr. A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury
in 2004. Incidentally, Dr Chowdhury is also a founding member of BNP, the party he was ousted from. Their party symbol during the polls is the kula . Its current political alignment is ambiguous, and has no seats in the parliament
.
and BNP parliamentarian M A Mannan resigned from BNP to work for the new political party. Dr Chowdhury was the President, with M A Mannan as the secretary-general of the new party formed in March 2004. It had been a strong critic of the government during the time, and most of its members were defects from the ruling BNP
. BNP parliamentarian Oli Ahmed
too had defected from BNP
to join Bikalpa Dhara, but later split to form Liberal Democratic Party
.
states that a parliamentarian who defects automatically loses his seat. Since both M A Mannan and Mahi B Chowdhury were ruling party parliamentarians during their defection to Bikalpa Dhara, their seats were vacated and by-elections declared. Both the parliamentarians contested for their own seats again.
The Munshiganj-1 district was contested mainly by Momin Ali of BNP
and Mahi Chowdhury, (main opposition Awami League boycotted the by-polls) and the BNP-led government was determined to ensure that they retained the seat. The by-election was held on June 6, 2004. Despite considerable opposition from the BNP, Mahi Chowdhury managed to win the elections and enter Parliament as the only opposition member from the BDB.
The Dhaka
-10 constituency was contested between former MP M A Mannan and BNP
's Mosaddek Ali Falu
(main opposition Awami League had boycotted the by-polls). Falu, also political adviser to the Prime Minister
, won the elections comprehensively, but the polls were considered to be sham
by most observers, and according to WikiLeaks
, including the United States.
Mahi's membership in the Jatiyo Sangshad
expired along with the parliament in October 2006.
-6 constituency, and came third in his Munshiganj-1 constituency, where he was elected parliamentarian four times in the past. Nobody else from the party were able to secure seats in the 9th Parliament either.
In the emergency presidium meeting on 31 December 2008 just two days after the elections, Dr Chowdhury and M A Mannan, party president and secretary-general took responsibility for the loss, and resigned from their party posts, being appointed chief adviser and adviser to the party respectively. They also congratulated Awami League for their historic win in the elections. Dhaka University's political science professor Nurul Amin Bepari and Mahi B. Chowdhury
were appointed acting president and acting secretary-general, respectively.
However, Dr Chowdhury and Mannan were reinstated to their respective roles within the party in April 2009 after a presidium meeting.
s with both Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina
(which Khaleda Zia
boycotted) and Khaleda Zia
(which Sheikh Hasina
boycotted).
has failed in fulfilling their duties as the government, and a scheme of having fresh elections at the earliest must be hatched.
system in Bangladesh, and stated their liking of the system to the Chief Election Commissioner during a formal dialog. The party also has agreed to join former foe BNP
in a movement to reinstate the caretaker government
.
, another party split from BNP, joined the movement, Bikalpa Dhara declined. The party also stated that it would shun any movements by BNP that they perceived were too hardline and would disrupt the normal passage of life for the people, although they agreed with BNP's cause in general. They were initially undecided about attending BNP's rally on 27 September, and later no reports of Bikalpa Dhara's attendance were found. However, Bikalpa Dhara joined BNP's road march program starting on October 10.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
founded by former President of Bangladesh
President of Bangladesh
Since 1991, the President of Bangladesh is the head of state, a largely ceremonial post elected by the parliament. Since 1996, the President's role becomes more important after the term of the government has finished, when his executive authority is enhanced as laid down in the constitution of the...
and BNP parliamentarian Dr. A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury
A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury
Dr A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury was the 15th president of Bangladesh and founding secretary-general of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.-Early life:...
in 2004. Incidentally, Dr Chowdhury is also a founding member of BNP, the party he was ousted from. Their party symbol during the polls is the kula . Its current political alignment is ambiguous, and has no seats in the parliament
Jatiyo Sangshad
Jatiya Sangsad or National Assembly is the national parliament of Bangladesh. The current parliament of Bangladesh contains 345 seats including 45 women reserved seats distributed on elected party position in the parliament, the occupants of which are called Members of Parliament or MPs...
.
Background
The party was conceived by Dr Chowdhury in 2003 after he was forced to abdicate his Presidency. Dr Chowdhury felt the need of a third force in the de facto two-party democracy in Bangladesh. He expressed recruiting civil society members in politics to fight corruption and terrorism and establish good governance in the country through an alternate stream (lit. Bikalpa Dhara) political party. He, along with his son Mahi B. ChowdhuryMahi B. Chowdhury
Mahi Badruddoza Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi politician and an ex-member of the Jatiyo Sangshad or Bangladesh Parliament. He is the son of a former parliamentarian and Bangladeshi President A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury.-Political career:...
and BNP parliamentarian M A Mannan resigned from BNP to work for the new political party. Dr Chowdhury was the President, with M A Mannan as the secretary-general of the new party formed in March 2004. It had been a strong critic of the government during the time, and most of its members were defects from the ruling BNP
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
. BNP parliamentarian Oli Ahmed
Oli Ahmed
Colonel Dr.Oli Ahmad Bir Bikram is a senior Bengali politician. He is the President of Liberal Democratic Party .Dr. Oli is a freedom fighter. He was the first Bengali Military officer to revolt against Pakistan army on 25 March 1971. Before the starting of Liberation war and was the first officer...
too had defected from BNP
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
to join Bikalpa Dhara, but later split to form Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Bangladesh)
The Liberal Democratic Party is a political party in Bangladesh.The party was formed on October 26, 2006 by former President of Bangladesh Dr. A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, Colonel Oli Ahmed, and 24 other former Members of Parliament and ministers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party . The party...
.
By-elections in 2004
Article 70 of the ConstitutionConstitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
states that a parliamentarian who defects automatically loses his seat. Since both M A Mannan and Mahi B Chowdhury were ruling party parliamentarians during their defection to Bikalpa Dhara, their seats were vacated and by-elections declared. Both the parliamentarians contested for their own seats again.
The Munshiganj-1 district was contested mainly by Momin Ali of BNP
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
and Mahi Chowdhury, (main opposition Awami League boycotted the by-polls) and the BNP-led government was determined to ensure that they retained the seat. The by-election was held on June 6, 2004. Despite considerable opposition from the BNP, Mahi Chowdhury managed to win the elections and enter Parliament as the only opposition member from the BDB.
The Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
-10 constituency was contested between former MP M A Mannan and BNP
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
's Mosaddek Ali Falu
Mosaddek Ali Falu
Alhaj Mosaddek Ali Falu is a Bangladeshi politician and a former parliamentarian from BNP. He served as the political adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia between 2001 and 2006...
(main opposition Awami League had boycotted the by-polls). Falu, also political adviser to the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the Head of the Government of Bangladesh. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Jatiya Sangsad Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate...
, won the elections comprehensively, but the polls were considered to be sham
Sham
Sham, a word found in Arabic, English and Chinese, may refer to:-Arabic use:* Sham, or Alsahm, the Arabic name for the star Alpha Sagittae* Sham, , al-Sham, or Bilad al-Sham, endonym of the region bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, usually known as the Levant or Greater Syria, comprising...
by most observers, and according to WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
, including the United States.
Mahi's membership in the Jatiyo Sangshad
Jatiyo Sangshad
Jatiya Sangsad or National Assembly is the national parliament of Bangladesh. The current parliament of Bangladesh contains 345 seats including 45 women reserved seats distributed on elected party position in the parliament, the occupants of which are called Members of Parliament or MPs...
expired along with the parliament in October 2006.
2008 elections and aftermath
The party contested the 2008 elections independently, but won no seats during the elections. Party president Dr Chowdhury lost his security money for obtaining only about 5,000 votes in his DhakaDhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
-6 constituency, and came third in his Munshiganj-1 constituency, where he was elected parliamentarian four times in the past. Nobody else from the party were able to secure seats in the 9th Parliament either.
In the emergency presidium meeting on 31 December 2008 just two days after the elections, Dr Chowdhury and M A Mannan, party president and secretary-general took responsibility for the loss, and resigned from their party posts, being appointed chief adviser and adviser to the party respectively. They also congratulated Awami League for their historic win in the elections. Dhaka University's political science professor Nurul Amin Bepari and Mahi B. Chowdhury
Mahi B. Chowdhury
Mahi Badruddoza Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi politician and an ex-member of the Jatiyo Sangshad or Bangladesh Parliament. He is the son of a former parliamentarian and Bangladeshi President A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury.-Political career:...
were appointed acting president and acting secretary-general, respectively.
However, Dr Chowdhury and Mannan were reinstated to their respective roles within the party in April 2009 after a presidium meeting.
2009 - present
Bikalpa Dhara has been walking on two boats with the main alliances. Dr Chowdhury attended political iftarIftar
Iftar , refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after Maghrib time...
s with both Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the Head of the Government of Bangladesh. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Jatiya Sangsad Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate...
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
(which Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia
Begum Khaleda Zia is the former First Lady of Bangladesh , and then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history and second in the Muslim world to head a democratic government as prime minister. She served again from 2001 until...
boycotted) and Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia
Begum Khaleda Zia is the former First Lady of Bangladesh , and then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history and second in the Muslim world to head a democratic government as prime minister. She served again from 2001 until...
(which Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
boycotted).
Present government
Bikalpa Dhara believes that the present Awami League-led Grand AllianceGrand Alliance
The Grand Alliance was a European coalition, consisting of Austria, Bavaria, Brandenburg, the Dutch Republic, England, the Holy Roman Empire, Ireland, the Palatinate of the Rhine, Portugal, Savoy, Saxony, Scotland, Spain and Sweden...
has failed in fulfilling their duties as the government, and a scheme of having fresh elections at the earliest must be hatched.
Caretaker government
Bikalpa Dhara opposed the repealing of the Thirteenth Amendment that abolished the caretaker governmentCaretaker government
Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government...
system in Bangladesh, and stated their liking of the system to the Chief Election Commissioner during a formal dialog. The party also has agreed to join former foe BNP
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
in a movement to reinstate the caretaker government
Caretaker government
Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government...
.
General agitations by BNP
Bikalpa Dhara hasn't associated themselves with the general agitation movements being led by BNP. For instance, Bikalpa Dhara were invited by BNP to join their mass hunger strike on 12 July. While LDPLiberal Democratic Party (Bangladesh)
The Liberal Democratic Party is a political party in Bangladesh.The party was formed on October 26, 2006 by former President of Bangladesh Dr. A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, Colonel Oli Ahmed, and 24 other former Members of Parliament and ministers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party . The party...
, another party split from BNP, joined the movement, Bikalpa Dhara declined. The party also stated that it would shun any movements by BNP that they perceived were too hardline and would disrupt the normal passage of life for the people, although they agreed with BNP's cause in general. They were initially undecided about attending BNP's rally on 27 September, and later no reports of Bikalpa Dhara's attendance were found. However, Bikalpa Dhara joined BNP's road march program starting on October 10.