The ruling Awami League's associate body of students Chhatra League will hold its 27th central council session in July 10–11 five years after the latest council session, as the present committee served out it tenure on April 4, 2008.
The declaration of the council session, however, disappointed some senior leaders on the present committee who aspire to the position of the president or the general secretary but might face age bar.
The Chhatra League president, Mahmud Hasan Ripon, announced the date for the council session at a press briefing at Madhu's canteen in Dhaka University on Wednesday.
The Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, also the prime minister, will attend as chief guest the opening session to be held at Bangabadhu International Conference Centre.
A new central committee for the Bangladesh Chhatra League will be formed at the council. The present Chhatra League committee was formed on Apr 4, 2006.
According to Clause 11 (B) of the Chhatra League's constitution, it is mandatory to form its executive committee every two years.
The Chhatra League's general secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton at the briefing said, 'The council could not be held because of the state of emergency. And after the [general] elections, we wanted to hold it [council] at a convenient time.'
Sohel Rana Tipu, president of the Dhaka University unit Chhatra League, told New Age that council session of the university unit Chhatra League would be held at the Institution of Engineers on June 30.
Almost all senior leaders and secretariat members of the Chhatra League attended the press briefing.
A number of senior leaders told New Age that they were frustrated that the organisation's constitution prevented anyone more than 29 years of age from being a member of the committee. The restriction was added to the constitution at the last council session.
Some leaders, who have exceeded the age limit of 29, said that they would have had an opportunity to be in the committee if it had been organised three years ago as it was supposed to have been.
According to a number of central leaders of the organisation, almost all the vice-presidents and joint general secretaries who aspire to the position of the president or the general secretary are all aged between 32 and 38 years of age.
Some senior leaders and secretariat members said that the age bar should be withdrawn.
'In my opinion, the age bar should be removed from the constitution,' said a secretariat member of the incumbent committee.
'We have been working with the BCL for years and now the age bar stops us from getting a position on the central committee,' he added.
One joint secretary told New Age that he did not 'have any idea whether the age bar for BCL leaders would be followed.'
The Chhatra League president did not give a direct answer to the question of whether the age bar would be followed but said that the new committee would be formed with dedicated and qualified students and that the 'constitution of the Chhatra League will be followed in each step of the council session.'
The president and the gerenal secretary both left the press conference without answering any further questions of journalists.
source:New Age
