Hasina for promoting young AL leadership

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday suggested that her cabinet colleagues promote young leadership in the Awami League and in the next parliamentary election.

She also advised them to keep the infighting within the AL in check to strengthen the party in their respective constituencies ahead of the next general election which she said would be a challenging one. 

The PM was in an informal discussion with her colleagues at the weekly cabinet meeting at the Secretariat.

Hasina hinted that more young leaders would be given party tickets to run for parliament in the next polls, cabinet sources told The Daily Star.

About the young leadership, she said many senior leaders, who had long been involved with the party, should keep the young leaders in mind for promoting them in the party activities and elections.

“She wanted to mean that those [ministers] who grew old would be replaced by young leaders,” said a senior minister, seeking anonymity.

The PM, however, didn't name anyone.

She reminded the cabinet members that nominations would not be given to all the sitting AL lawmakers, particularly to those who were isolated from people and the party in their respective constituencies, added the sources.

Hasina, also the AL president, directed the ministers to keep a close eye on the local body elections in their constituencies so that the party nominees could do well.

Saying that the next parliamentary election would not be like the one of 2014, she advised AL leaders to step up communications with grassroots, unite the feuding factions, be active and work for the people.

The BNP's “Vision 2030” also came up for discussion at the meeting. Some ministers said the BNP copied the concept the AL's “Vision 2021” and its plan mostly reflected the thoughts of the Jamaat-e-Islami.

The meeting discussed the issue of a recent High Court verdict that declared running mobile courts by executive magistrates unconstitutional. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan raised the issue saying that local administrations were facing difficulties as they couldn't run mobile courts.

The PM in response said a court stayed the HC order until Thursday.

The HC on May 11 declared unconstitutional the rules under which executive magistrates run mobile courts.      

Seeking anonymity, a minister said: “The government thinks mobile courts must run under the executive magistrates. The government will go to the Supreme Court to this end.”