Krishak League: 39 lakh leaders, yet it wants more

Their leaders claim that they have committees up to village level across the country. If we go by that claim, Krishak League should have at least a whopping 39 lakh leaders across the country. 

Sounds surprising? Let’s do the math.

The charter of the front organisation of the ruling Awami League says the central committee would be comprised of 111 members, district committees 81, upazila committees 71, union committees 61, ward committees 51 and village committees 41. 

Under the current formula, the organisation has 111 central committee members; 6,318 leaders for 78 district committees; 34,861 for 491 upazilas; 2,77,794 for 4,554 unions and 35,76,143 leaders for 87,223 village units.  

Even with around 39 lakh leaders, that is excluding ward committee leaders, the number of which could not be specified, the Krishak League thinks the number of its leaders is not adequate. 

They want to increase it further, as the number of country’s population is on the rise and so are the number of farmers. 

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, there are 1.65 crore farmers in the country.    

But the front is planning to submit a new proposal of bringing in more leaders to all its committees in its 10th council today at Suhrawardy Udyan. Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, also organisational chief of Krishak League, is scheduled to inaugurate the council.  

Leaders of the organisation said they would place a proposal to expand their central committee members to 155 from the existing 111 and all its other committees.

“We want to increase the number of office bearers of the committee as the number of the country’s people, including farmers, have increased. Krishak League has also flourished in recent times,” the front’s President Motahar Hossain said. 

Apart from the number of leaders, the organisation is also going to modify its slogan. 

Krishak League Organising Secretary Asaduzzman Bipob said, “We will propose to add the words…’Happy Farmer, Happy Bangladesh, Bangabandhu’s Bangladesh’ to the current slogan ‘Save farmers, and Save the Country’.” 

Bangladesh is an agro-based country and majority of the inhabitants are directly or indirectly involved in agricultural activities for their livelihood. 

NOT FOR FARMERS 

According to various media reports, it was seen that Krishak League leaders could hardly be seen working to ensure rights of farmers.

In recent years, they were not seen beside the farmers who did not get fair paddy price.

Krishak League have also not raised their voice regarding farmers’ problems centring loss of agricultural land, when distribution of seed and fertilizer is not taking properly or when farmers are becoming landless.

The organisation’s rank and file are sitting on the council session amid huge criticism that they remain busy making “their fortune”.

Insiders said usually, the leaders who do not get posts in the Awami League, become leaders of front organisations like Krishak League. Many of them are involved in irregularities, lobbying, tender manipulation and establishing local influence.

The organisation leaders also try to get hold of tender-related to agriculture ministry and others agriculture-related offices.

When asked, its president dismissed the allegations and said they were dedicated to working for establishing the rights of farmers.

He said they worked in favour of farmers when the latter took to the streets to demand fair price, adding, “But we did not get media coverage.”

“No one from Krishak League is involved in the casino business, lobbying or tender-grabbing,” he said, when it was pointed out that Krishak League central committee member Shafiqul Alam Feroz is now in jail for his alleged involvement in the illegal casino business.

Feroz was also president of Kalabagan Krira Chakra Club.

WHERE ARE THE FARMER LEADERS

In 1972, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formed the organisation with the slogan “Save farmers, Save the country” in a bid to protect farmers’ interests and to work for their betterment.

But farmers hardly find representation in the central committee of the organisation meant for them.

Krishak League leaders confirmed to this newspaper that at least 35 of the central leaders are lawyers and, of them, most are supporters of Krishak League General Secretary Shamsul Haque Reza, who is a Supreme Court lawyer.

The front’s President Motahar is a contractor and former chairman of Kapasia upazila. He owns an agriculture farm.

Dhaka North unit President Maksudul Rahman and General Secretary Abdul Halim, Dhaka South unit President Momtaj Ahmed and General Secretary Abdul Rob Khan are businessmen.

“It is completely baseless that only farmers will lead Krishak League. Rather people who will take work for the betterment of peasants or stand beside them can be leaders of our organisation,” said Motahar.

KRISHAK LEAGUE IN AMERICA?

The front’s top leaders confirmed that they have committees in the USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia and UAE, where Bangladeshi expatriates have nothing to do with agriculture or peasants.

Motahar said that many Bangladeshi farmers or their children are living abroad, so they need the organisation there.

“Our charter allows Krishak League to have organisations abroad,” he added.

Besides, Krishak League has at least 6,900 leaders in their full-fledged Dhaka north and south committees, 46 thana committees and 66 ward committees in the capital, all of which hardly have any farmers. In fact, these committees are in places which do not have any significant farmland either.

AL high-ups in recent times raised questions over Krishak League’s committees abroad and in several thanas in the capital like in Gulshan and Dhanmondi where there is no farmland.

The front’s president, however, claimed that many farmers lived in capital and thus, committees were required.

INCUMBENT COMMITTEE

The last triannual council of Krishak League held on July 19, 2012. After it, two top leaders spent more than a year to announce a full central committee.

The incumbent committee has been doing nothing other than joining special programmes by AL. “This committee is gripped with inertia. This is a sheer failure of top leaders” said an organising secretary.

He pointed out that it had not held any “Uthan Baithak” or meetings for many years. But it was their method to raise awareness among the farmers of their rights.