BNP is likely to finalise today at least 12 sub-committees including the body for reforming its charter for holding its sixth council at its standing committee meeting, presided by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, and also might extend the time of the council at least for seven days, said the insiders. 

Meanwhile, BNP leader Rizvi Ahmed yesterday, at a press conference at party headquarters in the capital, criticised former Appellate Division judge AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik for his recent remarks about the chief justice.

In the last meeting, the standing committee decided to hold the council in mid March, later finalised March 19 and applied for three places to hold the meeting.

A BNP leader, involved with the council, said acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir roughly categorised the subcommittees and will start working from tomorrow after getting an approval of the party chief.

Fakhrul will lead the sub-committee on reception while its standing committee member Tariqul Islam will be the chief of charter reform sub-committee.

The insiders said they want to finish the work within deadline. Fakhrul on Saturday sent letters to the grassroots to complete the council of all units within March 2 and formed 11 teams to conduct the councils. But, they said it would not be possible to complete councils of all units within this time. Out of 75 district units, the party can possibly hold 40 councils.

"We have completed councils in 15 district units and hope that we will be able to form the maximum number district units, in case of incomplete committees, we will do it after the national council," said Mohammad Shahjahan, joint secretary general of the party.        

In the meeting they will also seek government's co-operation to run the council peacefully.

BNP's charter says the party will have to hold its national council in every three years. But the last one took place on December 8, 2009.

Meanwhile, at the press conference, Rizvi criticised Justice Manik and said that the former justice described Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha as a spokesperson for Khaleda Zia. "If the chief justice is the spokesperson for Khaleda Zia, people understand then who you speak for," he said. Rizvi said Justice Manik had tried to turn the court into a place where Awami League's programmes would be implemented. He made the apex court controversial, he added.

Separately, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a party council in Jhenidah that the state system had broken down as a former justice said he did not accept the order of the chief justice. "Overall what we have is a one party administration," he said.